


Forced Overlap

by TheWolfParadox



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Avengers Tower, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Especially Tony, Everyone is super extra, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Manhattan, New York, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Science Fiction, Science Stuff, Superheroes, Superpowers, Telekinesis, battles, injuries, i’m just amusing myself at this point, laser swords, tags will be added as story progresses, vigilantes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-03-19 06:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 35,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13699185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWolfParadox/pseuds/TheWolfParadox
Summary: A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.





	1. The Convention

"Why are we even here?" Clint complained, "I can think of dozens of other ways to be spending my free time than in the Star Wars section of Comic Con."

But the billionaire his statement was directed at was too busy to notice. "Check this out! A replica laser gun!" He paused thoughtfully. "You know, it'd be a lot more fun to have an actual working one..."

Bruce sighed. "No, Tony."

Tony pouted. "Why not?"

"Because weapons are the _last_ thing we should be thinking about on our day off."

"I agree with the Man of Iron!" boomed Thor. "A true gun of lasers would be most enjoyable!"

Tony shot Bruce a significant glance, but he only sighed again. "We're supposed to be relaxing."

"There are tons of activities I can think of that're more relaxing than being around giant noisy crowds of people," muttered Clint. Natasha rolled her eyes, but secretly agreed.

"Come on guys, we should at least try to enjoy ourselves," Steve broke in, even though he found the whole thing confusing and more than a bit pointless.

"Spangles is right, let's see if there's anything interesting happening," said Tony. He sauntered over to a nearby staff member. "'Scuse me, but is there anything cool going on besides panels?"

The staff member glanced up. "As a matter of fact, a fight's about to start in a few minutes."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean? What fight?"

"Relax, Cap," said Tony, "It's a fake fight."

"Yeah," grumbled Clint, "A couple of fools dress up and swing at each other with plastic 'lightsabers'... No finesse."

The staff member, overhearing him, gave a knowing smile. "Trust me... You'll wanna see this one."

"Is it choreographed?" Natasha asked.

He shook his head. "No-well...It is...Look, just remember to keep an eye on Avery Valiant. Trust me, it'll be worth it." He left, heading over to help with crowd control at one of the booths. The group began to debate.

"Should we go?" Bruce asked.

Steve shrugged. "I don't see why not. He recommended it after all."

"Let's go!" Tony said excitedly, "I wanna see what he was talking about."

Natasha was indifferent. "We might as well. Stark'll never shut up otherwise."

"We shall go!" Thor declared, "I would very much like to witness this combat!"

Clint sighed. "Whatever. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll be able to leave this hell hole." With that, the group set off towards the area the staff member had indicated.

* * *

It turned out that a special room had been set aside for the 'fight' and a crowd was gathered around the edges, muttering to one another excitedly. "Seems like a lotta hype for a plastic lightsaber fight," Tony commented.

Thor's eyebrows drew together. "Man of Iron, what are these 'sabers of light' of which you speak?"

"They're sorta like giant glow sticks," said Clint.

Thor's confusion remained. "Listen, Hammertime," said Tony, "Just think 'laser swords.'"

Thor's expression brightened. "They sound like a most excellent weapon!" he said loudly, causing people around them to make 'shushing' noises.

"Sorry, big guy, but these aren't real," said Tony, "Otherwise someone could get hurt."

"Not to mention the fact that they _don't_ exist..." Clint muttered. Tony ignored him.

"But wounding your adversary...is that not the point?" Thor questioned.

Tony patted his arm. "Not in this fight, buddy."

Suddenly, another employee entered the room and the whispering died down. The Avengers turned to face the center of the room, where a man was now standing. He smiled and waved.

0"Hello!" he said, "Hello and welcome to New York's annual Star Wars Themed Comic con!" There were cheers and applause. "As some of you may know, today we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars comic cons." More applause. "To help celebrate this special occasion, our usual lightsaber battle has been lengthened to fifteen minutes!" Loud cheers and applause. "So without further ado, please welcome Mr. Jonah Williams and Miss Avery Valiant!" The presenter hurried out of the way as the applause died down.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, two people walked out onto the stage. One was dressed in the traditional Jedi uniform while the other wore the black Sith costume. From their distance, none of the Avengers could tell who was which, with the exception of Clint, who didn't care to share. The pair bowed to the audience and to each other. Then they each flicked their wrists and lightsabers extended and lit up, one green and one red. They moved into a ready stance, and the fight began.

The Sith lunged forward, swinging his or her lightsaber in a wide arc at the Jedi, who leaped away. The Sith advanced, weaving a web of flashing light around the Jedi's lightsaber, but couldn't seem to land a hit. Then, the Jedi went on the offensive. He or she stalked forward, maneuvering the lightsaber with startling speed and precision, but couldn't land a hit either. In one move, they feinted to the left then whipped the lightsaber around to the right before the other had time to block it. The Sith flipped backward through the air, landing close to the audience, who clapped and cheered appreciatively.

The fight only gained intensity from there, but by the end of fifteen minutes, neither had landed a blow. Where hits weren't blocked or countered, they were dodged. The Avengers were beginning to think neither the Sith or Jedi would win, when all of a sudden the Sith performed a series of fluid spins before flicking the Jedi's lightsaber out of their hand and catching it. _._ Then the Sith sprinted forward and struck the Jedi in the chest lightly. The Jedi collapsed, pretending to die, as the audience roared with applause, the Avengers included. Then the lights came back on, and they saw a brown-haired girl with a pixie cut helping a blond guy to his feet. The pair shook hands, then bowed once more to the audience before exiting.

* * *

The Avengers left the room in a tidal wave of people, who were chattering excitedly about the fight. After making it out of the building and over to a limousine Tony had waiting (Steve thought it a little ostentatious) the group was on their way back to the Avengers tower (renamed after it was partially destroyed by Loki a few months previously). They sat in dead silence for several minutes before it was interrupted by Tony (of course).

"Hol-ly _shit_!" he exclaimed. He looked around. "That was one of the _coolest_ lightsaber fights I've ever seen!"

"Really?" Clint asked, "I didn't see think it was _that_ good, did you Tasha?" She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"I have to admit, it was very entertaining," said Bruce.

" _Thank_ you," said Tony.

"Yes, the false battle was quite enjoyable!" Thor agreed jovially.

"Wait till you see the movies, Point Break."

"It was very well choreographed," Steve said absently.

Tony looked like he was about to explode. " _Seriously?!_ That's all you have to say about it! Someone has to teach you how to properly appreciate true _art_ , Capsicle."

Natasha sighed. "Stark, don't you think you're overreacting?"

"Yeah," said Clint, "It wasn't _that_ good, Tony."

Tony shook his head. "Nu-uh," he said, "No way. I won't accept this. That fight could have _easily_ rivaled the some of the ones in the movies. Back me up, Bruce."

Bruce looked uncertain. "I don't know about _that_ Tony..."

Tony gave a long winded sigh and turned to Natasha. "You can read body behavior... What did you think?"

Natasha frowned slightly. "From what I saw, it was well-choreographed, but I wasn't paying very close attention."

"That girl was pretty amazing," Tony said, pulling out his phone. "Jarvis, give me everything on 'Avery Valiant'."

The other Avengers sighed in exasperation. They were all well-aware of Tony's obsessive behaviors. "Very well, sir," the AI replied. After a moment's pause, he began to speak. "Avery Maria Valiant, 21 years of age and only daughter of James Everett Valiant and Emily Rose Valiant, deceased. She was born in Manhattan and currently attends Columbia University." There were a few low whistles.

"We got an address, J?" Tony asked.

"I'm afraid not, sir. Any records of an address have been deleted."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "So she knows her way around computers... How bout the father?"

"Mr. Valiant lives at 177 Amsterdam Avenue."

Steve frowned. "And she doesn't live with him?"

Tony shrugged. "You never know. Maybe she needed her space or maybe they didn't get along." _Lord knows_ I _have enough experience with_ that _._ "Anything else, Jarvis?"

"Not that I can tell, sir."

"K. Thanks Jarv."

The Avengers spent the rest of the trip back to the tower in silence.


	2. The Scientific Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Avery was catching her breath. She had barely made it back to campus after her performance at the Comic con. After the fight, Jonah had pulled her aside.

"That was _amazing_!" he said excitedly, "How come you don't go to these more often?"

She had smiled and made a hastily-formed excuse but he'd pressed her for a more detailed answer, so she made her escape, saying she had to get back to school before the lunch period ended. She sat down on a bench and leaned back, only wishing that she could use her _true_ talent in the fake lightsaber fights. But if _that_ little secret ever got out, it would only bring about a world of trouble for her.

_The door slammed shut behind her. It was narrow and dark. It reminded her of the closet where she'd hide from her father during one of his drunken rages. In fact, that situation wasn't so far off from this one. But this time her father wasn't drunk and she wasn't in there by choice. She heard his voice through the walls, muffled._

_"Is the machine ready?"_

_Another voice replied. "Yes...but sir, you should know the probability of the patient surviving is extremely low. None of the others-"_

_"The others didn't even make it past stage one!" her father interrupted. "This time, it_ will _work! Prep the machine."_

_Avery heard levers being pulled and dials being turned. The walls around her began to hum and vibrate. She shied away into the center of the small space._

_"Start the process," her father ordered._

_"But sir-"_

_"She has the serum! Now_ start the process!"

Avery shuddered. She remembered the serum very well. She was dosed with it a few hours prior to the small room.

_Her father had requested her in his laboratory. He was standing with a team of scientists, all gathered around a small bottle of liquid._

_"_ _I've done it!" he declared._

_"Done what?" she asked._

_He turned, and for a moment she was afraid he'd yell or slap her. Instead, he spoke in a civil, if sharp, tone._

_"You're to call me Father to show respect," he said, "As a child should."_

_Avery bit back her protest. "What have you done, Father?"_

_His eyes were triumphant. "I have done what others have tried and failed to do," he said, "I have recreated the super-soldier serum!"_

The super-soldier serum. Avery knew there were dozens of other scientists that had horrible things happen to them when they tried to do the very thing her father had done. Of course, she'd heard all about Captain America, the first and last successful attempt. But back then, all she knew was the serum was what had created Captain America. And that was good, right?

" _Like the kind that made Captain America?" she asked._

_He smiled to himself. "Exactly like that."_

_Now she was excited. Captain America was one of her icons. "Who're you gonna give it to, Da-Father?"_

_Her father chuckled. "I can't give it to anyone until it's been tested first." He paused. "How would you like to test it?"_

_Avery's eyes widened, this time in worry. "But Father-"_

_However, her father's question was rhetorical. "No buts," he said sharply, "You_ will _test this serum!"_

_He grabbed her and led her roughly over to a metal chair. She stared at it with wide fearful eyes. It was covered in leather straps. He sat her down and strapped her in, securing her arms, legs, and head. One of the scientists hooked up a machine to monitor her vitals. She watched as her father transferred the serum into a syringe._

_"No!" she yelled, "No, Father, no! Don't do it! Please, Father!"_

_But he ignored her cries and approached her with the needle. She felt the painful prick of it in her arm and the cold sensation of the fluid entering her bloodstream. Within minutes, it felt as though she were burning alive from the inside out. Liquid fire coursed through her veins. She screamed, loud and long, until it was cut off by a hand over her mouth. The pain built and built until it felt like molten lead would explode from her every orifice. Then, she felt herself fading away until blackness engulfed her._

She ran her hands over her arms. She could still remember the feeling of the burning. It had haunted her nightmares ever since.

_When she woke up, she was still in the chair, but the straps were gone. "The patient has regained consciousness," one of the scientists said, "Breathing is normal, blood pressure is normal, heart rate is fast but even."_

_Her father leaned over. "How do you feel?" For a second, she thought he cared about her well-being, but it was dispelled by his next question. "Are you stronger?" He waited for an answer. "Avery, answer your Father!"_

_"I feel the same," she said._

_Rage built behind his eyes. "Lies!" he shouted, "I know the serum worked! I was better prepared that the rest of those scientists!" His gaze locked on the scientists. "Ready Phase 2," he said._

_"Sir!" said one of them, "Phase 2 isn't ready! We haven't even tested it yet!"_

_"I don't care!" he roared, "Begin Phase 2 now!" They scrambled to obey as Avery looked on._

Phase 2 was radiation. Gamma radiation, to be specific. Her father had been strongly advised against it, but as usual, he would not be deterred. Everyone had read about Dr. Bruce Banner's experiments with gamma radiation and everyone knew about what had come of them. Her father had decided to combine the serum with gamma radiation exposure, in hopes that he would get an effect from one of them or that one would trigger the other.

_Avery gasped as the small room began to get hotter. And hotter. And hotter. Now, the burning was on the outside. She screamed and shrieked, but no one heard or cared. And just when she was sure she could stand it no longer, the blackness came again, and she escaped into it gratefully._

When she had regained consciousness a second time, she again felt no different. They had run test after fruitless test, but had gotten no results. Her father had raged. All his work had been for nothing. He had stormed out of the lab, turning once more to the drink and life for Avery had pretty much reverted to the way it had been pre-serum. She avoided her father more, seeking comfort in her mother, who'd provided it the best she could. When her mother died had been the single worst moment of Avery's life. She had had no one. No one but a drunken father who, on his best days, would pretend she didn't exist. So she'd run. She ran away and lived with a friend for the last three years of high school. Then the letter had come. She'd been accepted into Columbia, by far the greatest day of her life.

Now, college was almost over. Avery could feel the real world yearning to wrap its claws around her. For most young adults, this would be a thrilling experience. But she was not ready. She wasn't ready to face reality. Because then she'd be forced to confront her problem head on, the problem that no one else knew about. Her father thought his work had gone to waste, but that wasn't true. Because the experiments had worked.

The results weren't easy to spot, as the serum hadn't had the same effect on her as it'd had on Steve Rogers. No speed, no super strength. Just faster reflexes and metabolism. But then, the gamma radiation had come into play and the results were something no one had expected. If the scientists had taken more thorough brain scans, they would have noticed a difference in her corpus callosum, the part of the brain that connects the right side to the left. As it turned out, this gave her a greater amount of control over her brain than most humans. But that was not all it allowed her to do.

_Avery stared out the window as the raindrops pattered down and streaked across it. Normally, a rainy day would be spent with popcorn and a movie, but a tree had taken out the power lines earlier that day, leaving her with nothing to do. She sighed and turned, making her way to the overstuffed bookshelf. She half-heartedly glanced over the titles and sighed again. She had read them all._

_Her gaze turned to her radio, balanced precariously on the top shelf. It at least would provide some entertainment. She stretched as far as she could but it sat just an inch out of reach. She reached for it again, going up onto her toes. This time, she managed to brush it with her fingertips, moving it closer to the edge. She stretched the tiniest bit further, slowly inching it into her grasp, when all of a sudden it slipped from her fingers and fell towards her! Closing her eyes, she threw up her hands to protect her face. Nothing happened. No feeling of the radio crashing into her, no clatter of it hitting the floor. She opened her eyes and flinched. The radio was suspended in the air, inches from her head. She stepped back. It was as if something was holding it in the air. Then, it fell to the floor with a crash, pieces scattering every which way_ _. Avery winced, waiting for her father to burst through the door and demand what she was doing. But no one came, and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She studied the broken radio on her bedroom floor and knew her life was about to become much more complicated._

Avery sighed and stood up to make her way back to her dorm. Since that day, she had honed her power, taking every free moment when she was alone, knowing that a lack of control could lead to other people discovering her ability. She knew things wouldn't end well for her if anyone, especially her father found out. During the lightsaber fights, she sometimes used her power to boost her jumps, making it possible for her to do more flips that a normal person could without first gathering momentum. Her power, combined with her training at a parkour gym, had made her an excellent candidate for the fight. She entered her room and closed the door. If she was lucky, she'd have half an hour to herself before her roommate returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, apparently people are interested in this story. S/o to everyone who left kudos. I guess I'll be continuing with this story then. Well, you've all just been introduced to Avery. What do you guys think? I can never write a fanfic without putting an OC into it. Writing fanfiction has actually been really great for helping me develop characters since I don't have to focus on world-building. 
> 
> Disclaimer: As I'm sure you know, I don't own the Avengers, nor any part of the Marvel universe.
> 
> Other Disclaimer: Avery sprung from my wish for more female representation when it comes to superpowers. I also created her because I want to experience developing different types of characters. To put it simply, she is in no way a reflection of myself. If I'd written a Mary Sue, trust me, I would not be subtle.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> -TheWolfParadox


	3. Shenanigans And Applications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Back at the tower, Tony was bored. Once they'd returned, he had rushed to his lab, only to find that Pepper had barred access to it via Jarvis until he "ate and rested like a normal human being." So he had sullenly made his way to the common floor, lamenting his problems to anyone in sight. At the moment, he was seated upside down on the couch, complaining to Clint, who just wanted to watch his cartoons in peace, damnit.

"Cliiiiiiiiiiiint," Tony moaned.

Clint ignored him.

"Cliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiint."

Clint turned up the volume.

"Cliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiint!"

"Dammit Tony! What do you want?!"

"I'm bored."

Clint rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the television.

"Cliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiint."

"Aagh! Why don't you go talk to Bruce or something?!"

"He's in his lab."

"So?"

"He banned me from it when I accidentally blew up his project."

Clint snorted. "Then why don't you spar with Cap or Natasha?"

"Are you kidding me?! They'd tear me to shreds! There wouldn't be anything left to bury!"

"Alright. How 'bout Thor? He was looking for you earlier."

"No! Last time he looked for me, the toaster was on fire! He overloaded it with Pop Tarts. I hope he doesn't come in here. I don't wanna fix that toaster again, Clint."

Clint cocked his head to the side and smiled at the distinct thud of Thor's feet heading towards them. "Looks like you're out of luck. I hear him coming."

Tony fell off the couch. He scrambled up, grabbing Clint. "Help me!"

Clint laughed and shook him off. "Sorry. You're on your own."

Tony bolted behind a potted plant just as Thor entered. He was spotted immediately. "Ah, Man of Iron! It seems that your contraption once again does not possess the capacity required for my Pop Tarts."

Tony moved out from behind the plant and began backing away. "I can't fix it right now, buddy. Too busy."

Thor frowned. "You do not appear to be doing anything."

But Tony was heading for the balcony. "Maybe some other time, Point Break."

Thor made to follow him, but he jumped over the side and plummeted out of sight. Clint shot to his feet, ready to do, well... _something_ , when he saw the Mark 7 shoot into the sky. He sighed in relief and sat back down, shaking his head.

* * *

Avery sighed as she made her way out of the building, a backpack on her shoulders and a suitcase trailing behind her. The day she'd been dreading had finally arrived. Sure, the graduation itself had been fun, but leaving was a different matter altogether. She hailed a cab. The driver helped her load the suitcase into the trunk. She entered the cab.

"West 39th street."

The driver nodded and they sped off. Avery leaned her head against the window, watching the people on the streets. There were a lot of businessmen, tourists, and homeless people, but every now and then, there were people that caught her eye. An old woman with tattoo sleeves, an artist sketching in the park, a kid with wild brown hair riding a skateboard recklessly through the streets, a juggler, a blind man with red-tinted glasses. She sighed. All these people knew who they were and what they wanted whereas she had no idea. Today would be the first day she even saw the place she was going to live.

She'd saved up enough money over the years to afford an apartment near the New York Public Library. Since it was Midtown, in between Times Square and the Empire State Building, there'd be a lot of tourists. But she could deal. The cab pulled to a stop. She paid the driver and reluctantly got out, grabbing her suitcase. On the outside, the building didn't look like much, seemingly identical to all the other buildings on the street. She entered and, after obtaining her keys, made her way to the fifth floor. She unlocked her door and walked in.

It was a three-roomed apartment, not too small. At least it came with furniture. An old-looking couch sat in the living room in front of a TV. There was no cable, but all she really needed was Netflix. The living room combined into a dining room and kitchen, with old wallpaper and a dining table that sat two people. The bathroom was at the end of a short hallway. It had a combined shower and bathtub, as well as a toilet and sink. Finally, she entered the bedroom. The queen-sized bed sat in the far corner, near a window. On the opposite wall was a dresser and bookshelf. The closet stood next to the door. Avery sighed again.

"Home sweet home."

Most of her free time was spent fixing up the apartment. She vacuumed and scrubbed until everything was spotless. Then, she unpacked her clothes and books, along with various other knick-knacks, which she set on the desk. She was pleased to find a relatively good Internet connection, so one day, she plugged in her laptop to make sure her various job applications had been sent out. _Hopefully I'll get a job I'll actually_ like _._

* * *

Tony was in his lab, working on upgrades to the Mark 7, when he heard someone enter. "I ate two hours ago, stop nagging Banner."

"I'm glad you ate something, Tony, but that's not why I'm here," came the amused voice of Pepper Potts.

 _Not Banner._ Tony stopped working and turned around. "You're back? When did you get back?"

She smiled. "About an hour ago."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were passed out on your workbench."

"Ah."

She sighed. "Tony, I'm not here to nag you about sleeping more-"

"Good."

"-but this is getting ridiculous. You can't expect to function on three hours of sleep-"

"Oh, I thought you _weren't_ gonna nag me."

"-because normal people need to sleep _eight_ hours-"

"Why _are_ you here?"

Pepper sighed again and gave up. "I'm here about this," she said, holding out a short stack of papers.

Tony just stared at them. "What are those?" _Anything to do with paperwork_ has _to be boring._

" _These_ are the applications for this month."

 _It gets so tiring to be right all the time._ "Oh, well, if that's all." He turned back to the suit.

"No, that is not all. You need to look at them."

He turned back. "I'm not the CEO of Stark Industries anymore, so why would-"

"Because you own the controlling shares and these applications are for a _personal_ _assistant_."

That pulled him up short. "What do you mean, a personal assistant?"

"I can't babysit you all the time, Tony. It would be helpful for you to have a new PA. They won't be taking on as many tasks as I did. In fact, it would be more like an internship unless you wanted to make it permanent."

 _Where did this come from? Whatever, it's still not gonna happen._ "Pepper, I don't need some snot-nosed kid interfering with my work-"

"Most of them are college graduates."

"-and I definitely don't need someone that can't tell a neutron from an electron."

Pepper sighed again before setting the forms on his desk. "Just take a look at them," she said before leaving.

Tony looked at the papers as if they had teeth. Then he sighed and began to scan them. His lab access was way too good of a motivator... _Gotta do something about that._ He began separating the applications into 'Maybe's' and 'No Way In Hell's'. The 'No Way In Hell' pile was much larger. He hummed to himself as he got to the last few.

"'Kevin Zhang,' no. 'Peter Parker'...maybe. 'Av- wait _what_?" He looked at the form more carefully. "'Avery Maria Valiant.' Huh. Who'd've thought? Let's see... Columbia... _doctorate_ in engineering? Well, whaddya know?" He stood up, grinning. "Hey, Jarvis, where's Pepper?"

"Miss Potts is currently on the Avenger level speaking to Mr. Banner."

"Thanks J."

Tony got into the elevator and arrived on the floor in a matter of seconds. Bruce and Pepper looked up when he walked out. "Hey...Where is everybody?"

"Thor's in his room, Steve's gone running, and Clint and Natasha are sparring in the gym."

"I've decided."

Pepper looked surprised. "Really? I thought it would take at least an hour for you to even acknowledge them." He handed the form to her. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she read it. "I don't think this is the best idea, Tony. The sexual harassment lawsuits will practically write themselves."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Come on, I'm not like that anymore."

Bruce cleared his throat.

"...Not very _often_. Besides I already _have_ a girlfriend."

"I don't know. It just doesn't seem like a good idea."

"What is this about?" Bruce asked.

Pepper sighed. "I'm trying to find Tony an intern and he's set on this one." She handed him the form and Bruce's eyebrows shot up in recognition. Pepper caught the expression. "What is it, Bruce?"

"Nothing, it's just...nothing."

"Well, what do you think?" Tony asked, "Think I'm responsible enough to handle it, Banner?"

Bruce looked up. "Honestly, I don't really see a problem with it."

 _Got Banner on_ my _side for once! Whaddaya say to_ that _!_ Tony smirked at Pepper triumphantly. She sighed and snatched the form back.

"I'll set up the interview for Tuesday."

_Score!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've honestly just been writing this story for my own entertainment. Still, if I'm enjoying it, I hope that means you guys are too. When I think about it, it's a bit ridiculous but hey, it's a lot of fun to write. Many thanks to everyone who's left kudos and stuff so far :)
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	4. Job Opportunity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Avery's hands shook as she put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. She couldn't believe what was happening. That morning, she'd received an email from Stark Industries. They wanted to interview her! _How the hell am I gonna get through an interview?!_ She remained in a state of shock as she showered and got into bed. She doubted she'd have an easy time falling asleep.

Her alarm went off at 7:00 the next morning. She rose with a groan. She'd tossed and turned for most of the night, too excited and nervous to sleep. _Boy am I gonna regret_ that. She sighed. At least the interview was at 8:00. That left her enough time to try and cover up the dark circles under her eyes.

She ate a hasty bowl of cereal before returning to her room to find something to wear. She groaned in despair as she rifled through her closet and dresser. She couldn't find any 'professional' clothing anywhere. _Figures._ Finally, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a light blue blouse before hurrying to the bathroom. She washed her face and tried her best to cover up the circles. Once she was satisfied, she applied light makeup and spent a few minutes taming her hair.

Finally she was done. She checked her watch and almost shrieked. _7:45! Shit!_ She ran back to her room and dug through her sock drawer, but was unable to find a matching pair. So at 7:50, she walked out onto the street with her backpack, her black Converse hiding a lime-and-purple-sock combo. Sighing, she hurried to flag down a taxi.

* * *

Avery made it to Avengers Tower with two minutes to spare. She pulled open the door to the lobby and was halted in her tracks. There was no one there. The lobby was void of people. Thinking there'd been some mistake, she was about to turn and leave when a British voice suddenly sounded from the ceiling, causing her to jump.

"Greetings. You must be Miss Valiant. Miss Potts is on the eighty-first floor."

Avery looked around in confusion. "What...? Sorry...who are you?"

"I am Jarvis, Mr. Stark's personal AI."

She thought he sounded proud, if such a thing was possible. "Um, okay? Thanks...Jarvis."

"You're welcome."

Avery made her way to the elevator, which opened for her. She stepped in and the doors closed. She then realized that there were no buttons. She was about to ask about it, when the elevator suddenly shot upwards so fast that she stumbled. Within a few seconds, she'd reached the eighty-first floor. She exited the elevator, looking around. Suddenly, a voice called to her.

"Hello."

She turned. Standing in front of a door a few feet down the hallway was a red-haired woman holding a tablet. She was dressed very professionally, causing Avery to blush at her jeans and Converse. The woman walked over and held out a hand.

"I'm Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries."

Avery shook her hand. "Avery Valiant... but you already knew that."

Pepper smiled. "If you'll follow me...the interview room is right this way."

Avery followed her through the door she'd been standing in front of. Inside the room was a glass table, with a chair on either side. Pepper gestured to the farther one. "Please, take a seat." Avery complied, taking off her backpack and placing it on the floor. _Why is the CEO conducting this interview?_ She ran a hand nervously through her hair. Pepper sat down across from her.

"Let's begin."

The interview started off fairly normally. "It says here you've recently graduated from Columbia."

"Yep."

Pepper raised an eyebrow, impressed. "And you have a... _doctorate_ in engineering?" Avery blushed and looked down, nodding. Pepper nodded and typed something on her tablet. "What do you want to do with your degree?"

Avery shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I just really like engineering and technology and stuff."

"I see... And that's why you applied for an internship here?" Avery nodded. Pepper smiled and made another note.

That was the point where the questions became a little more...unusual. "What's your experience in dealing with children?"

Avery furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, I've babysat multiple times in high school and I volunteered at a coupled preschools... but I-"

"And if a child refused to...say...eat or sleep?"

"I've learned that sometimes a firm hand is needed, but-"

"In taking on this position, you may be required to take some basic combat training. Would you object to this?"

Avery frowned. "No, but-"

"Due to working in the same quarters as the Avengers, you may become a target for supervillains. Would you still wish to continue?"

"Yes, but why are you asking me that?"

Pepper appeared unfazed. "These are required questions, Miss Valiant... Last one. You will be working in close contact with a...difficult individual. Do you foresee any problem with this in the future?"

Avery was completely mystified. "...No?"

Pepper beamed at her. "Excellent. You're hired."

"Wait _what_?" Pepper nodded and smiled. "No way. That's it? There _have_ to be more questions."

Pepper shook her head. "Nope. Those are our required questions... Now, I'm sure you'd like to know the details of your job." Avery nodded numbly. Pepper smiled sheepishly. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely transparent with you. You're not here for just any job... You're to be Mr. Stark's personal intern."

" _What_?!"

"Trust me, it's a hard job. But you _will_ be paid for it."

"...What exactly do I have to do?"

"Anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires." Pepper leaned in. "You'll answer to both of us, but it would be best if you take anything he says with a grain of salt. He can be very... eccentric at times." Pepper straightened up and pulled something out of her pocket. She held it out. Avery looked at it curiously. "This is your official Stark Industries pass," Pepper said, "We usually rely on Jarvis to let people in where they're supposed to be, but you'll need it for when you're away from the tower."

Avery took the pass. "Thank you, Miss Potts."

Pepper smiled. "Please. Call me Pepper."

Avery smiled back. "Only if you call me Avery."

Pepper nodded. "That's doable."

"So...what now?"

Pepper smiled mischievously. "Now... it's time for you to meet Tony."

Avery's eyes widened. Instantly, all of her nerves came back. Tony Stark was one of her idols, and she never thought she'd get the chance for a face-to-face.

"W-where is he?"

Pepper smiled understandingly. "He's either in his lab, or on the Avengers' floor. I'll go find him."

True to her statement, Tony was in his lab. He turned as she entered, setting down a tablet. "You called me a child? Pepper, I am _deeply_ hurt!"

"You spied on us!"

Tony stood up. "Yup, and I gotta say... I think she's up to it."

Pepper glared at him. "You don't know what it's like to be around you! She might quit after just a _week_!"

"Relax, Pep. I'll be on my best behavior. Shall we?"

Pepper grumbled, but walked with him into the elevator.

Avery paced around the room, fiddling with her hair. It was a nervous habit, but she preferred it to nail biting. She was about to meet _Tony Stark_! Iron Man himself! She bit her lip. Should she tell him that she researched his arc reactor technology? Probably not. At least, not until later. She heard the elevator doors open. The _click_ of Pepper's high heels sounded down the hall with a second pair of footsteps following. Avery tried to calm her breathing. The door handle was turned and pulled open. Pepper entered. Following her was the man himself.

Tony wore dark pants, shoes, and an AC/DC shirt through which the glow of the arc reactor could be seen. Suddenly, Avery didn't feel underdressed at all. He strode over and held out a hand. "So you're the new blood... Tony Stark, nice to meet you."

Avery shook his hand. "Avery Valiant, the pleasure is mine, Mr. Stark."

"Tony, if you don't mind. 'Mr. Stark' makes me feel old."

"Ok...Tony."

He nodded, looking her over. "Nice outfit."

She blushed. "I didn't have anything else."

"Eh, who cares? I never dress formally... unless it's for a party. Anyway, your job's not to be professional, it's to be my personal assistant."

"I thought I was just an intern."

Tony waved his hand. "Formalities. Like I said. So...wanna meet the team?"

Pepper sighed. "Tony, she isn't starting until tomorrow."

"The sooner the better."

Pepper rolled her eyes and turned to Avery. "Come on. I'll escort you out."

"Oh...thanks, but I know the way."

Pepper shook her head. "It's so _Tony_ can't kidnap you before you leave."

"Ah. I see." She grabbed her backpack and followed Pepper into the elevator. Tony trailed behind them, still trying to convince Pepper to let her meet the team. He kept it up right until the doors closed.

* * *

Avery stepped into her apartment and wanted to collapse. She set her backpack down and took off her shoes. She really wanted to sleep, but there were just too many things she had left to do. For one, her latest 'project' was nearing completion and the sooner it was finished the sooner she could put years of planning into action.

She ordered a pizza and got out her laptop. She brought up the blueprints and smiled to herself. Just one more part to add. She got up and opened the closet. She pried up a convenient loose floorboard that she'd found while unpacking and removed the nearly complete device. Then she returned to the living room and set it on the coffee table.

She was about to sit back down when there was a knock on her door. She looked through the peephole. A pizza delivery man was standing in front of the door with a pizza box. She opened the door and took the pizza before paying the man and returning to the coffee table. She set the pizza down and looked at her laptop.

Correction. There were _two_ parts. A blade shroud emitter and a magnetic stabilizing ring. The ring had been relatively easy to obtain. She'd gotten it from the tech lab at Columbia. The emitter, however, had been harder. She had to break into her _father's_ lab for that one, and it'd been no picnic. Mainly because of the flashbacks it had induced. But she'd managed.

She frowned, glad that she'd had time to assemble the rest before leaving Columbia. She didn't have the necessary tools to attach those parts. These parts were much simpler. All she needed was a soldering iron. Luckily, she'd found one online that was only fifteen dollars. She had everything attached in under twenty minutes.

She sighed and sat back, admiring her work. It was time for a real test. She'd run simulations before, working the device until there had only been a 5% chance of failure. Still, she was nervous. Simulations could only reveal so much.

She grasped the device, standing up. Her thumb hovered over the activator. She took a deep breath and flipped it. Instantly, a long, glowing blue beam shot out of the end with a noise similar to a jet engine.

Avery smiled as she admired the device. She'd done it. She had created the world's first working lightsaber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man! Lightsabers! Superheroes! Crazy stuff! Looking back, I have no frickin' clue where I got the idea for this story. I'm pretty sure I've overstepped the bounds of nerdiness just a bit too much. Oh well, I hope you guys enjoy it anyway.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	5. Day One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Steve, as usual, was the first to wake up in Avengers Tower. After spending 70 years asleep in the ice, he figured he'd gotten enough rest. Every morning, he'd start out with a run through the city, followed by a shower and breakfast. Then, he would spend the rest of the morning drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. In fact, this habit was the only reason the newspaper was delivered to the Tower, as Tony regarded paper as belonging to, quote, 'the Dark Ages, where it should stay.'

The next to wake would be either Natasha or Bruce, followed by Clint and Thor. Tony would either be down in his lab, or sleeping in, depending on whether he'd gone to bed the night before. Needless to say, it took some time before all the Avengers would gather on the common floor. However, this particular morning was different. The next person to appear on the floor was not Bruce or Natasha, but Tony.

Steve shot the inventor a quizzical glance as he made his way over to the coffee machine. "How come you're up so early?"

Tony waved him off. He wouldn't start registering questions until at least 8:30. Bruce walked in as Tony slumped onto the couch, coffee in hand. He too shot the engineer a questioning look as he poured himself coffee. "Tony...what-"

"Shh, Brucey. Don't talk to me until it's a normal-people time."

Bruce shrugged. Next to come up were Natasha, Clint, and Thor, all together. Clint and Natasha, like the other Tower inhabitants, made a beeline for the coffee machine. Thor, on the other hand, went immediately to the Pop Tart cabinet. By 9:00, everyone was sitting down.

"So," said Natasha, "Care to tell us what this is all about, Stark?"

Tony looked over. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. You don't have to be an expert at reading human behavior to know that you'd never be up this early if there wasn't something going on."

"Who says there's anything going on? What if I just wanted to make a change?" Natasha gave him an exasperated look. "Okay, okay. Right as usual, Natasha...I just got a new personal assistant."

Clint cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't Pepper your PA?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "She's the CEO. Besides, that woman was _never_ just my PA and you know it."

"True."

"I don't see why you getting a new PA is such a big thing," said Steve.

"Oh, it is, Capsicle. My new PA is Avery Valiant."

"Wait, _what_?" said Clint.

His surprise was also present on Steve's face. "The girl from the convention?"

Only Bruce and Natasha seemed unsurprised. Bruce already knew and Natasha merely raised an eyebrow. Thor, for his part, continued to enjoy his breakfast.

"Yup," said Tony, popping the 'p'.

"Why?"

"'Cause she applied, Cap. Why d'ya think?"

"But is she...qualified?"

"Trust me, she couldn't be _more_ qualified. She has a _doctorate_ in engineering."

Bruce sighed. "Tony, you realize she's still only 21. Barely an adult."

Tony shrugged. "Same difference."

"Hold on," said Clint, "You mean a kid is gonna be your PA. That is a recipe for disaster, my friend."

"I can assign someone from SHIELD to conduct psych-evals," said Natasha helpfully.

"Guys, it'll be fine. What, I can't be trusted around college graduates?"

"No!" chorused everyone in the room (with the exception of Thor).

Tony sighed. "C'mon guys, it's all good. She's coming in at 10:00. I've got plenty of time."

But as it turned out, no time seemed to pass before it was 9:50. "Are you going to give her the tour today?" Bruce asked as Tony went for a coffee refill.

"Nah. Today I thought I'd let you guys meet her."

"Uh, Tony… That probably isn't the best idea."

"Why not? It'll be awesome and she'll like me even more."

"I just don't think taking your new intern/PA to meet a super soldier, a god, two super spies, and a rage monster is the best plan if you want her to stick around."

Tony scoffed. "Ah, it'll be fine. Besides, you control the Hulk, and you wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Still… I'd feel better if you waited a couple weeks, let her get used to it first."

Tony sighed. "Fine. Anything for you, Brucey."

* * *

Avery entered the lobby. Now that she knew of the 'dress code' around here, she wore jeans and a T-shirt with her backpack slung over one shoulder. As she made her way to the elevator, Jarvis greeted her.

"Good morning, Miss Valiant. Mr. Stark is awaiting you on level 70."

"Thanks, Jarvis."

She stepped into the elevator, which began ascending immediately. Soon, it came to a stop. She stepped out and was greeted with the sight of a huge laboratory. She marveled at the pieces of tech sitting on the tables. A voice came from the side.

"Nice, isn't it?"

She turned and was greeted with the sight of Tony Stark standing next to a hologram of a machine part. She set her bag down and walked over.

"So, you ready to begin work as an employee of the best company in the world?"

"Yes...Wait. What exactly _is_ my job here?"

"Your job is to assist me...personally."

She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "With what?"

"For now, just little things. Getting me coffee, working on small inventions."

She narrowed her eyes. "What about later?"

"Later...um, not sure. Pepper left me a list." He searched through some files on the holographic screen. "Ah, here it is. Let's see...you'll attend various fundraisers and galas for the company."

"What? Why?"

"'Cause you'll be directly working on the new inventions for SI... Huh...It says here that you'll even attend some of the meetings with me… Excellent. I'll be less bored. But enough with that!" He turned back to her. "What do you know about my company?"

"Uh, not too much. You used to be a weapons manufacturer…"

A dark expression crossed his face. "Go on."

"But after you shut that down, you became the leading company in clean energy. Arc-reactor technology…"

"Nice. Don't forget that I'm also Iron Man. Saving the world as an incredibly awesome superhero."

"Iron Man: also born from the Arc-reactor… albeit a miniaturized version. Um...I don't know much about the latest design, but I know the earlier one used a palladium core. I assume you used the beta decay of Pd-107 ions as an electron source for the electron capture of Pd-103, thereby producing an electric circuit between two different radioactive isotopes. And the ejection of the electrons from the core towards the rim of the device produces an electrical cell capable of generating enormous voltage and current, which is how the repulsors and chest-ray work… Of course, I could probably go more in-depth, but then we'd be here all day."

Tony stared at her with the expression of someone who'd discovered the Holy Grail. "Holy shit! Okay, there's someone you gotta meet!" He hurried into the elevator, leaving Avery standing there confused.

Tony returned shortly dragging a very reluctant Bruce Banner with him. "You'll never believe this, Banner."

"And I suppose telling me twenty more times will have me believing?"

"She knew about the reactor!"

Bruce sighed. "How exactly do you jump from that to 'bothering Bruce?'"

Tony dragged him over to Avery. "Guess what...I have someone for you to meet!"

"Who is it?"

Bruce shook Tony off and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Bruce Banner."

Avery looked awestruck as she shook his hand. "Bruce Ba- _Doctor_ Bruce Banner?"

"That's me."

"Oh, wow, it is such an honor to meet you! You know, I read your research papers on gamma radiation and it is absolutely _amazing_!"

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "Really? You read my research?"

Tony elbowed him. "Told you."

"If I may ask, what got you interested in my research?" Bruce asked.

"Oh...um, my father was interested in the experiments you conducted." She did not mention that her father went so far as to _conduct_ said experiments or that she read the research in the hopes that it could tell her how to reverse what had happened.

"Well, I hope it was for the right reasons," Bruce joked.

Avery forced a smile. _Far from it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. It's been awhile. I meant to update sooner but things have been crazy busy. I was hard pressed to keep up with Darkness Ascending, let alone this story. But enough about that. I'd like to thank all of you for reading and supporting this story. I never thought people would be this interested but I guess you learn something new every day. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter even though it was a bit short. 
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	6. False Alarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Life became interesting over the next few weeks, not just for Avery, but for the Avengers as well. In between missions, all Tony would talk about was the work they were doing in the labs and how awesome Avery was. It got so much that one night after dinner, Clint finally caved.

"Alright, Tony. You can stop talking about how cool it is having a new PA. Jeez. I think that's all you've talked about since you took Banner to meet her. And now he's hooked too. What is it about this kid that's got you guys all worked up?"

Tony smirked. "You'll just have to meet her yourself, Katniss."

Clint sensed the challenge in his words. "Fine. I will."

"Wait, what?"

"Bruce said we should wait a couple weeks to meet her, and we did. So we can meet her tomorrow."

"Um, what?"

Bruce sighed. "I do remember saying that."

"Good," said Clint, "It's settled. We'll meet her tomorrow."

Sure enough, the Avengers were gathered on the common floor at 10:00 the next day (except Thor, who had to return to Asgard after their latest mission). Most of them were sitting on the sofa when Jarvis spoke from the ceiling.

"Sir, I should inform you that Miss Valiant has just entered the elevator. Will you be meeting her in the lab as usual?"

"Nope! Bring her up to the common level, J."

"Very well, sir." A moment later, the elevator dinged and Avery stepped out.

She walked out quickly, looking down at some research notes and bumped right into Steve, who had crossed over to meet her. "Crap! Sorry about that. I wasn't looking where I was g-" She realized that the person she'd bumped into was in fact Captain America.

He smiled and held out a hand. "No problem. It's nice to meet you. Steve Rogers."

After freezing for a second, she shook his hand. "Avery Valiant, Tony's PA."

Steve chuckled. "He's told us all about you."

Pink tinged Avery's cheeks. "He did?"

"Yeah, he-" Steve cut himself off. He just realized that it probably wasn't the best idea to tell her that Tony had basically bragged about her to the Avengers.

Luckily, Natasha stepped in, hand outstretched. "Hello. I'm Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow."

As Avery shook her hand, she got the uncomfortable feeling that the other woman was assessing her. "...Nice to meet you."

Just then, Clint popped out of a vent next to her. "Sup!" She turned and watched as he stood up and raised her eyebrows. Clint extracted himself from the vent and stood up, looking disappointed. "Most people scream." Avery smiled. He held out a hand. "Clint Barton, Hawkeye."

She shook his hand. "Hello."

"Tony's been talking nonstop."

"Has he?" She shot Tony a glare. He smirked and waved. She looked away.

Bruce chuckled. "Looks like she's going to do just fine."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure Pepper's giving her lessons behind my back. She's almost perfected her Pepper glare already." Bruce lagged. Tony glared at him. "It's not funny, Banner. You've never seen it. That girl is scary. College students aren't supposed to scare me. It goes against the natural order!"

There was much discussion amongst the Avengers after Avery went to the lab with Tony and Bruce. "She seems like a good kid," Steve mused.

Clint nodded. "And yet, not too good," he added, "Which is also good."

Natasha frowned thoughtfully. "She's hiding something."

Clint looked at her in disbelief. "Really, Tasha? You're analyzing a college student? Of course she's hiding something. Everybody's got secrets.. and _most_ people don't have super spy-assassins trying to pick out said secrets."

Natasha shook her head. "No, this is different...I think I will volunteer to train her in combat myself."

"What?" said Steve, "She's going to learn _combat_?"

"It's a new requirement for Stark Industries employees," said Natasha, "So, yes, she will learn to defend herself."

"But she's just a kid!"

Natasha fixed him with a stare. "She's 21, past the legal age of adulthood."

" _Still_!"

She sighed. "This is something for you to argue with Stark about. He's the one that put the requirement in place." Steve didn't look satisfied, but he stopped arguing.

* * *

Avery rode home that night in a daze. She'd met the Avengers. The freaking Avengers! She knew that most people in New York would kill to have the chance she'd had. They weren't the same as they'd seemed on TV, though. The Black Widow was a whole lot scarier, Hawkeye wasn't as stoic, and Bruce was a lot more calm, not losing control every few seconds, despite how the media portrayed him. Tony, on the other hand, was pretty much _exactly_ how he seemed in the news. Thor was the only team member Avery hadn't met yet, so she reserved judgement on him.

She woke on Saturday to the sound of her text alert. Groaning, she grabbed her phone. When she saw the message on the screen, she nearly fell out of bed. The text was from Tony. It read:

_Kid! Get down to the tower ASAP. Just made a breakthrough on the smart car tech!_

Avery rolled her eyes. She hated how Tony insisted on calling her "kid" when she was able to legally drink and vote. Still...if Tony had made an important breakthrough, it would affect her work, so she tumbled out of bed, threw on some clothes and rushed out the door.

She made it to Avengers Tower in under ten minutes. Upon entering the elevator, she called on JARVIS. "Jarvis! Get me to the lab!" But the elevator didn't move.

Instead, JARVIS replied, "I apologize, but Mr. Stark is on the Avengers common floor."

"Then take me there!"

"As you wish, miss." The elevator quickly ascended. Avery rushed out as soon as it stopped, only to be greeted with the sight of Tony Stark sitting casually on the couch, scotch glass in hand. "Tony…"

"Hey!"

Avery moved a step closer. "Why aren't you in the lab? I thought you made a breakthrough? Also...isn't it a bit too early for alcohol?"

"First of all, its never too early for alcohol. Secondly...there wasn't a breakthrough. I called you here to join in on some quality team hangout time!"

"Movie day!" Clint yelled, dropping out of the ceiling onto the couch.

Avery stared at Tony. "You woke me up and lied about a technological breakthrough...for a _movie day_?"

"Yup!" said Tony, popping the 'p.' "Excellent response time, by the way, considering how far away you live."

Avery was flabbergasted. "You know where I live?"

Tony shrugged. "Since your address wasn't available, I just followed you in the suit."

"You _what_?!"

"Yeah, kinda surprised you didn't see me, to be honest. At one point, I nearly crashed into a building… By the way, the place you're living in? Ridiculous! You should just move into the Tower, much more space and better _everything_."

"I can't believe you stalked me in the Iron Man suit!"

Tony sighed. "We're still stuck on that? Shoulda guessed. Kid...I like to know everything I can about the people I surround myself with. Also...I was curious."

Avery glared at him. "Curious doesn't cut it, Tony! _Stalking_!"

"Would it help if I said sorry?"

"Would you mean it?"

"...No"

"Then no."

"Okay, then. Be mad at me. But you're still gonna watch the movie, right?" Avery gave him an incredulous look and strode to the elevator. But before she got there, Tony jumped up and yelled, "Jarvis! Initiate protocol 34a!"

Avery stopped in her tracks. "What did you do?"

Tony looked smug. "Now Jarvis won't let anyone out unless I give the word."

Avery rounded on him. "You are unbelievable!"

"I know." Clint, who'd been awkwardly listening to the exchange, cleared his throat. "So, uh, what movie are we watching?"

Tony smirked. "Patience, Feathers, gotta wait for the rest to get here." Right on cue, a door opened and in stride Bruce, Natasha, and, surprisingly, Thor.

Avery narrowed her eyes at Tony. "I thought you said the exits were sealed."

"My protocol doesn't stop people from _entering_ , just leaving." Avery was about to retort, when she was interrupted by Thor, who grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously.

"Greetings! I hear you are the one known as Valiant, correct?"

Avery was a bit overwhelmed. "Um, yeah… You can call me Avery."

"Nonsense! You deserve a title of nobility, as befitting your character. I shall call you Lady Valiant!" Upon finishing his proclamation, Thor strode into the kitchen.

Avery was taken aback. "Uh...is he always like that?" Everyone else nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I'll be honest, guys. I never thought anyone would be very interested in this story. It's been on the back burner for a while now, just kind of sitting in my drive. I honestly don't like it as much as my other stories, but authors often are their own worst critics. Sorry for the lag time. Updates for this story will probably always be infrequent. Balancing things gets hard sometimes. Anyway, I'm glad y'all are enjoying it. Thanks for all the kudos. Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	7. The Magic of Technology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Soon, the Avengers, plus Avery, were all seated in front of the ginormous flat screen, all with bowls of popcorn on their laps. After nearly an hour of deliberating and arguing, they had decided to watch _Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back_. Before coming to this decision, they had been split into two sides. Tony, Avery, and Clint for Empire and Natasha, Bruce, and Steve for _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_. Thor was happy with either. It had been a difficult decision, particularly for Avery, because Goblet was her favorite Harry Potter movie and Empire was her favorite Star Wars movie. Finally, Tony had convinced Thor to their side by mentioning the amount of action and fighting scenes, and of course the "laser-swords." After Tony read out the title screen in an over-dramatic voice, the group was immersed in the icy world of Hoth and Han Solo's desperate search for Luke Skywalker. Tony particularly liked the "scruffy-looking nerf-herder" insult and giggled over it for a good minute. During Luke's training with Yoda on Dagobah, the group decided to break for lunch.

After Tony ordered pizza, he noticed Avery standing near the bar and walked over. "So how're you linking the movie day?"

Avery grinned. "It's fun. I haven't just sat and watched a movie for a long time… Next time though, don't lie about it."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tony walked behind the bar and poured himself some whiskey. He held up the glass. "Want some?"

Avery shook her head. "I'm good."

He raised an eyebrow. "You sure? You're 21, so it's not like this is illegal or anything."

"Tony, I'm sure."

"Are you? 'Cause I think a drink or two will do you some good." He grabbed another glass.

"Tony, I'm serious. I don't want any!"

Tony poured it out, smirking. He held up the glass. "C'mon, it's good for the soul." He brought it closer. Avery stared at the glass, frozen. All too often, her father would drink out of a glass like that and then purposely smash it nearby to make her jump. As Tony pushed the glass nearer again, Avery lunged, swatting it out of his hand. It landed on the floor, bursting into a million shards.

"Come on!" said Tony, "What did you have to do that for? Pepper's gonna kill me! That was Swarovski crystal! I know I'm a billionaire and I can afford like a trillion more and I'm not actually sure why I'm ranting about it in the first place because I've broken tons of these, but _still_!" At that point, he noticed that Avery had gone.

The rest of the team had rushed over after hearing the smash and subsequent yelling. They found Tony standing next to the shards of a broken glass. Steve fixed Tony with his 'Captain America' stare. "What happened?" he demanded.

"I have no idea!" said Tony, "I asked the kid if she wanted a drink! Next thing I know, she slaps the glass out of my hand and- where did she even go?!"

"What do you mean she slapped it out of your hand?" Bruce asked.

"I mean she friggin bitch-slapped the thing! What do you think?!"

"I think we should get back to the question of her location," said Natasha.

"I believe I can be of assistance in that respect, Miss Romanoff," said Jarvis, "Miss Valiant is currently on level 70."

"The lab? Why would she go there?" asked Steve.

"I think the more important question is _how_ she got there," said Tony, "The protocol initiated lock down on all the exits."

"I'm sorry to say Miss Valiant bypassed that particular piece of code through one of my access panels, Sir," said Jarvis apologetically.

"What?! She hacked Jarvis?!" Clint exclaimed.

"Indeed," said the AI, "Apologies, Sir."

Tony waved his hand. "It's fine. I knew she was good." He strode to the elevator.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you going?" Clint asked.

"Obviously I'm going to see why Avery took offense to one of Pepper's crystal glasses."

"I don't think that's the best idea Tony," said Bruce.

"What do you mean?"

"He's saying we don't know what state of mind she's in right now. Seeing you might make it worse," said Natasha, "We should send someone else."

"Like who?"

"Bruce should go. He's the team member Avery met first and she's worked with him the most next to Stark."

Bruce was surprised. "Sure, I can go." He felt the eyes of his team members on him as he left the room.

Luckily, Avery wasn't hard to find. She was sitting on one of the lab's benches. She didn't look up when Bruce entered. He paused in the doorway for a second, unsure of what to do. Then he moved to sit down next to her. She didn't even acknowledge him. He sighed but said nothing, knowing if she wanted to explain, then she would. Finally, after a minute or so, she began to speak. "I...never had the best relationship with my father. He, um...wasn't the best in the parenting department. Actually, the best days were when he was distant…" Bruce nodded, understanding. "He...was a drinker. But he, uh, couldn't hold his liquor like, well, like Tony can. So when Tony was pushing me to drink… It wasn't just being reminded of my father… I don't ever want to be anything like that man and I was scared that if I drank...well...things might end badly, like they did for me as a kid."

Bruce nodded. "I get it. My father wouldn't win any parenting awards either. And Tony shouldn't have pushed so hard. But the thing is, when Tony meets people he likes, which is not often, he wants them to share in his interests. That's why he gets along with me and Clint more than the others. I've got the science, Clint has the humor. Also...Tony didn't have the best childhood either. I think he'd be able to understand what set you off more than most."

Avery nodded. "...I suppose I'll go back now. Thanks, Bruce."

Bruce nodded. "No problem."

The rest of the team looked up when Bruce and Avery entered. Before Avery sat down, Tony walked up. "Hey, sorry for pushing the alcohol thing."

"Don't worry," said Avery, "We're past it."

"Great! Cause these pizzas are getting cold." They sat down. "I got everyone their own pizza so don't worry about sharing." Everyone grabbed a pizza box.

After finishing three slices, Tony sat back. Natasha and Bruce had each eaten two of their slices, while Clint had eaten five of his. Steve, Thor, and - to Tony's surprise - Avery had each eaten their entire pizza.

Clint side-eyed Avery. "What the hell? How'd you eat that much?"

Avery grinned. Due to her faster than normal metabolism, she burned through calories at a higher rate than the average person. "Fast metabolism."

"You're telling _me_!" said Tony, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you could rival Cap's eating, and you're not even a super-soldier!"

Avery forced a smile. That comment hit a bit too close to the truth. "Whatever," said Clint, "We gonna finish the movie or not?"

Soon, they were all seated back in front of the TV, watching the rest of Luke's training with Yoda. When Yoda told Luke to "Do or not not...There is no try," everyone quoted the line along with him, with the exception of Thor. Finally, they got to the scene where Han Solo was about to be frozen in carbonite. Avery promptly shushed everyone. "This is one of my favorite scenes." The team watched as Leia told Han she loved him, to which Han replied, "I know," before being frozen.

"Sounds like something Tony would say," Clint mused. Tony shot him a glare, but everyone else was nodding thoughtfully.

After the movie was over, Tony deactivated Jarvis' protocol, despite it having been rendered pointless by Avery. The rest of the team departed, leaving Tony and Avery. "So," said Tony, "You're coming in tomorrow, right?"

Avery shook her head. "It's Sunday," she reminded him, "I have the day off."

"Right," he muttered," Don't know why I agreed to that."

"You didn't. It was all Pepper."

"Whatever. You'll be in on Monday. I'll just have to settle for that."

"Aren't we finishing up the smart car prototype?"

"Yup! And presenting it to the board on Wednesday." Tony chuckled as Avery's horrified look. "That's right. You're being officially introduced! Don't worry. I'll make it spectacular."

"Please _don't_ ," muttered Avery.

"You'll have to get a dress or something to wear." Tony shrugged. "I'll leave that to Pepper. Anyway, I'll see you on Monday, bright and early." "Yeah, I suppose you will."

* * *

Avery practically stormed out of the building. She had forgotten all about the board meeting. Sure, the SICar was amazing. She and Tony had spent weeks on the schematics alone. The tech, like everything at Stark Industries, was way ahead of anything anyone else had to offer. No, it wasn't the car she was worried about… She was worried about herself. She'd never really had practice being in front of large or important groups of people, certainly not over something as important as this. The rest of the way home and the entirety of her gym visit the next day was spent worrying over it.

Monday morning, she was on her way to the lab, more apprehensive than any time before, except perhaps her interview. She entered the lab and was met with the sight of hologram schematics of the SICar hovering around Tony. She walked over. "What's the agenda?"

"This baby is almost ready to be built," said Tony.

"Almost?"

"Yep. Just wanted to take one last look at our chosen fuel source… You know, there's a reason people haven't considered solar powered cars and that's because they take so freakin long to charge."

Avery rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but we found a way around that. Anyway, it's not _completely_ solar-powered. Electricity provides the majority of the power supply."

"What about powering it on garbage? That tackles two problems at once. Reducing the amount of garbage and providing a fuel source cleaner than gas. Besides, it's in Back to the Future 2."

Avery sighed. This was not the first time they'd been over this. "Tony, think about how skeptical people would be of cars that run on garbage. I agree, it's a cool idea, but what will the board think? Also, you can build a flying DeLorean on your own time."

Tony looked thoughtful. "Good point, especially about the DeLorean. Hmm...never thought you'd end up being the adult."

Avery ignored the jibe. "I just want it to go well."

Tony looked at her with a new level of understanding. "You're really worried about the meeting, aren't you?" Avery nodded and Tony chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. After all, _I'm_ gonna be there and I've done this more times than I can count… Not because I can't count very high, but because I've done it a lot." Avery smiled. "That's right. Nothing to worry about. By the way, I meant what I said… You'd better get here early tomorrow cause I told Pepper about the board meeting and she's gonna take you out to get something to wear."

Avery sighed. "And what will you be wearing?"

Tony scoffed in mock offense. " _Me_? Darling, please, have you _seen_ me in a suit? I've got nothing to worry about."

"So are we gonna build the car now?"

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Nah. I'll get Jarvis and my bots to assemble it."

"We're not going to do it ourselves?"

"We don't need to. As long as the designs are done, Jarvis can do the rest, right Jarvis?"

"Indeed, sir. If it is of any comfort to you, Miss Valiant, I also assembled the Iron Man armor from Mr. Stark's designs."

"See? Nothing to worry about."

"Okay," said Avery, "So you don't need me to hang around?"

"Nope! You can head home and psych yourself up for the _board meeting_."

"Not funny."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later."

"Bye Tony."

Avery was actually kind of glad that she had the rest of the day off. It gave her time to practice with her new lightsaber. She needed to learn how to use it so she could use it for her true purpose.

_Avery sighed as she once again erased the part. She looked up as her roommate stirred in her bed. Luckily, she was a deep sleeper. Avery adjusted the desk lamp again and glared at the schematics in front of her. She was almost finished. After she completed the last piece, she'd have to begin gathering parts to assemble the piece. She winced. Getting all the parts together would be the most difficult part of reaching her goal. She'd have to take advantage of the engineering lab. However, she knew there were parts the lab didn't have. Those she would have to steal from her father. She shuddered. She would cross that bridge when she came to it. In a year or less, her hard work will have paid off. The world's first working lightsaber. She laughed at the irony of how she, possessing telekinetic abilities, would be the first person to build one. It didn't matter. Her father and his scientists had to pay for what they'd done. She could have done it easily using a gun, a knife, or even just her brain, but it wasn't just about revenge. She wanted to do something big. Something that would get her noticed. And a working lightsaber did that, as well as pandering to her dramatic side. She sighed and returned to her task, tracing her pencil in deliberate strokes across the paper that would bring her dream into reality._

* * *

The next day, Avery was in the middle of eating breakfast when her phone started buzzing. She picked it up, expecting it to be Tony. But instead, the caller ID displayed the name 'Pepper Potts.' She answered.

_"Avery? Where are you right now?"_ Pepper asked.

"In my apartment?"

_"Okay. Be ready to meet me outside in ten minutes."_

"...Okay, why exactly?"

Pepper's exasperated sigh was very audible. _"I swear you and Tony are so alike sometimes... We're going clothes shopping! Unless you plan to wear jeans and an T-shirt to the board meeting?"_

Avery groaned. Of course! She'd forgotten all about the trip. "Sorry, Pepper. I'll be there."

_"Good. Ten minutes!"_

Ten minutes later, a shiny black car pulled up outside. As Avery approached it, she saw the driver was Harold 'Happy' Hogan, someone she had become closely acquainted with through her work at SI. She greeted him as she got in. "Hey Happy."

He nodded at her. "Avery."

Avery looked at the car's interior as Happy pulled away from the sidewalk and into the ever-present Midtown traffic. It was one of the more inconspicuous cars, as far as Tony Stark was concerned. Pepper was seated next to her, talking into a cell phone. Avery waited as she finished her discussion and put the phone away. "Hey Pepper."

Pepper smiled at her. "Hello Avery. I heard you and Tony finished the designs for the car."

Avery nodded. "Yeah, it's in the process of being assembled."

"That's good. I was just on the phone with one of the board members." Pepper sighed. "They wanted assurance that the car would be finished in time."

Avery nodded her understanding. "It will be."

"I thought as much. But we're not here to talk about the car, that's your and Tony's job tomorrow. Today, we're going to outfit you like an official SI employee."

"What...exactly does that entail?"

Pepper smiled. "You'll see."

* * *

After visiting many high-end stores, Avery and Pepper were on their way back to Avengers Tower with three new dresses. Avery suspected that each dress costed more than all of her clothes put together. Not to mention the heels. They had purchased a pearl gray, a burgundy, and a royal blue dress along with matching pairs of stilettos.

"It's gonna take me at least a month to learn how to walk in these," Avery joked.

Pepper smiled. "Nonsense. It's all in the balance."

Avery shot her a look. "Easy for you. I've seen you sprint in heels at least twice."

Pepper shook her head. "From what I've heard, you already have excellent balance."

Avery was puzzled. "Who'd you hear that from?"

"Agent Romanoff. She said you've making wonderful progress in your combat training."

Avery was surprised. She was sure that Natasha thought her mediocre at best.

_Avery looked around apprehensively as she entered the training room. Apart from the everyday exercise equipment, the room contained an archery/gun range, fencing equipment, and a boxing ring. Not to mention the entire floor was padded. Natasha was off to the side, her body contorted into a shape Avery wasn't sure was even physically possible. "Yoga?" She watched as Natasha uncoiled and stood up._

_"Yoga maintains both strength and flexibility. Do you practice it?"_ _Avery shook her head. "It's a good idea to start."_

_There was a moment's pause. "Um, so you're gonna train me for combat?"_

_Natasha nodded. "Yes."_

_"I was wondering-"_

_"Why does Tony have his employees trained in combat?"_ _Avery nodded. "Ever since the incident in May of last year, Tony has thought it best to prepare anyone working in this building, especially since it would be housing the Avengers."_

_"And you approve of this course of action?"_

_Natasha's face remained expressionless. "I neither approve or disapprove. What Mr. Stark does with his company is his own business." Avery nodded. "Nevertheless, you must be trained and standing around talking about it will not produce any results."_

_Natasha strode to the center of the room. "I hope you dressed appropriately." Avery took off her sweatshirt. She was wearing exercise leggings, a sports bra, an exercise tank top, and Nike athletic shoes. She walked over to stand in front of Natasha. "Before we begin, I need to ask if you've had any previous training?"_

_Avery shook her head. "Only some fencing in college."_

_Natasha nodded. "Do you stick to any particular exercise regime?"_

_"I go to the gym every week and do resistance training. I also do cardio every day."_

_"What type of cardio?"_

_"I mostly do freerunning parkour."_

_"I see… Well, if that's all, it's time to begin."_

_"What do we start with?"_

_Natasha gave a small smile. "We need to warm up first. Dynamic stretching."_

_After both of them had warmed up, Natasha began to teach Avery the basics of hand-to-hand combat. As Avery demonstrated a position, Natasha commented, "Your balance is not bad. Were you enrolled in any type of dance class as a child? Ballet? Or possibly gymnastics?"_

_Avery shook her head. "My balance mostly comes from fencing and parkour." Natasha nodded and they continued._

_By the end of a few weeks, Avery had drastically improved in hand-to-hand. At this point, Natasha began to instruct her in different forms of combat such as boxing and jujitsu. Avery also trained in fencing, although for this an instructor had been hired, as Natasha could not provide the advanced instruction needed._

Yet despite Avery's progress, Natasha had never really complemented her or gave encouragement. Avery just assumed either it wasn't in her character to do so, or she just wasn't doing as well as she thought. But here Pepper was telling her that Natasha had said things like "excellent balance" and "wonderful progress".

"Anyway," Pepper continued, "We'll stop in and see Tony, then Happy can drive you back to your apartment."

Avery nodded as the car came to a stop in front of Avengers Tower. Pepper and Avery got out, leaving the clothes in the car with Happy, and entered the building. As they walked across the lobby, the disembodied voice of Jarvis welcomed them back. "Greetings Miss Potts, Miss Valiant. I trust the trip was successful?"

Pepper smiled. "It was, thanks Jarvis." She and Avery entered the elevator. "You are looking for Mr. Stark, correct?"

"Yes, is he in?"

"Of course. Mr. Stark is in the laboratory making adjustments to the SICar. Shall I take you there?"

"If you don't mind." The elevator ascended to level 70 and the doors opened. Pepper and Avery walked out. As they entered the lab, Avery saw Tony lying on a red creeper underneath a beautiful car. She immediately recognized it as the car she and Tony had put so much work into. The design was reminiscent of a white 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo and featured the Stark Industries logo in the place of the badge.

Tony scooted out from under it and got to his feet, grinning. "Gorgeous, isn't she?"

"It's absolutely amazing!" said Avery in admiration, "What were you doing?"

Tony shrugged. "Eh, just giving her a touch-up. Gotta make sure everything's perfect for the presentation."

Pepper smiled. "I'm sure everything will be."

Tony nodded. "How was the trip? Pepper rope you into getting more than you needed?"

"Yep, everything's ready for tomorrow...assuming the car doesn't need any more touch-ups?"

Tony patted the car. "Nope! She's good to go."

"Well, in that case, Avery had better get going," said Pepper, "Happy's waiting outside to take her home."

"Happy's driving? I thought he only drove you."

"Me and anyone I take with me. He's already become acquainted with Avery so I thought it best to have him drive her."

"Whatever." Tony switched his attention to Avery. "If that's the case, you better get going, kid."

Avery nodded. "See you tomorrow, Tony. Thanks for the dresses and shoes, Pepper."

Pepper smiled. "It was no trouble." As the doors closed and the elevator began to ascend, Pepper's focus shifted back to Tony. "Have you told the board about Avery yet?"

Tony smirked and shook his head. "Nope! Tomorrow will be the first time she's officially introduced both as my PA and an engineer."

"You shouldn't have put that much pressure on her."

"I wouldn't have if she couldn't handle it."

Pepper rolled her eyes and exited, leaving the billionaire genius to his own devices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. Things tend to get pretty busy this time of year and I was already having problems keeping up with one story, let alone two. Anyway, the next chapter's up now. Hope you liked it!
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	8. Board Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Avery woke in a near panic the next day and looked at her clock. It was already 8 and the presentation was at 9! She quickly scarfed down a bowl of cereal and a bagel before retreating to the bathroom to get her makeup done and make sure her hair was presentable. Then she raced to her closet where she had hung the new dresses. She decided on the gray dress and heels and hastily put them on. After doing one last look-over, she checked the time again. 8:22. Tony was going to pick her up at 8:30. The board members had flown in from Los Angeles yesterday and were meeting in one of Tony's smaller New York facilities in Harlem. They had originally wanted to meet at Avengers Tower, but as Tony was very protective of his stuff (and his team, to a somewhat lesser extent), they had reluctantly agreed to meet elsewhere. By the most direct route, the drive would take 33 minutes. However, since Tony rarely drove like a regular person, Avery expected it wouldn't take as long.

At exactly 8:30, the building's doorman, Hank, buzzed Avery. "Tony _Stark_ just pulled up... He says he's here to pick you up."

"Tell him I'll be right down," Avery replied. She grabbed her keys and phone and quickly made her way to the ground floor where Hank was holding the door for her. Upon exiting the building, she saw the SICar waiting alongside the curb. Tony was in the driver's seat, wearing a very nice-looking and most definitely expensive suit.

He whistled as she got in the passenger's side. "Nice dress. You got good taste."

Avery grinned. "Actually, it's Pepper who has the good taste."

Tony snorted and pulled away from the curb. "Figures." Then they were on their way, weaving through the busy streets. "You know," said Tony conversationally after about 10 minutes of driving, "We're gonna be passing right by Columbia."

Avery nodded. "Yeah." She was distracted by the buildings out her window, something Tony soon picked up on.

"Looking for something in particular?"

Avery cleared her throat, shaking her head. "No, it's just...this is where my father lives."

"I see. Not planning to stop in for a visit, are you?" he asked, semi-jokingly.

Avery shook her head vigorously. "My father and I were never on the best of terms. In fact, we haven't spoken in about 10 years."

Tony nodded. This was something he understood. "You know, I never really got along with my father either. Heck, if he were still alive, he'd probably have disowned me by now."

"Why?"

Tony shrugged. "He wouldn't have liked a lot of the things I did."

"Like what?"

"Like shutting down the weapons manufacturing branch of my company, making Pepper CEO, or probably even being Iron Man."

"Why not?"

"That's a talk for another time." Avery nodded, accepting the rebuke. Then Tony seemed to get an idea. "Tell you what, kid," he said, "One day we'll sit down and I'll tell you about Howard, but in exchange...you have to tell me about _your_ old man."

Avery hesitated for a second before agreeing. "It's a deal." She figured it would be a long time before that day came. By an unspoken agreement, she and Tony passed the rest of the drive in silence.

19 minutes later, the car pulled up to an electronic gate. A security guard tapped on Tony's window. Tony rolled it down and the guard asked for his ID. In response, Tony merely lowered his sunglasses. The poor guard became extremely flustered, but raised the gate and let them through. Finally they were within sight of the facility. Avery could only describe it as a fancy warehouse. It was long and wide and light gray. She looked to Tony for an explanation. He cleared his throat. "This is one of the smallest SI sites. Don't worry. It's much more impressive on the inside."

"Where will the board be meeting us?"

"Oh they're already inside. We're gonna drive around to the back, where there's a larger entrance." Tony began to drive around the building.

"Wait, so the car's actually going _inside_?"

"You betcha."

"So what is this place used for?"

"Well, you can already see that it kinda looks like a warehouse. We mostly use it for development and testing the bigger things."

"I see. Question: how the hell did you get the car out of the Tower."

"Oh that was easy. While I repaired the tower after Loki's temper tantrum, I manufactured one of the big windows in the lab to work as a sliding door of sorts, so I had a few suits fly the car down."

"And that was _easy_?!"

"Sure. I have a _lot_ of suits."

"But why even go to the trouble when you could just build it in the underground area where you keep your other cars?"

"It's...less cool that way and...shut up, that's why."

As the car approached the back end of the warehouse, Tony pressed a button and a previously hidden door opened to admit them. As Tony pulled the car into the space, Avery saw a long table, presumably seating the board members, off to one side. She noticed several of their jaws drop as the car pulled in. Finally, the car came to a stop and Tony got out, whipping off his sunglasses. "Hello people of Stark Industries. As you're all aware, I'm here to present the new Stark Industries Smart Car…But before that, I'd like to introduce you to someone who not only helped design the car, but also manufactured the parts alongside me. Ladies and gentlemen, my new PA and head engineer, Avery Valiant!" Right on cue, Avery stepped out of the car, closing the door behind her, and walked around it to stand beside Tony. She heard several small gasps from the board members upon seeing her and one even gave a low exclamation of, "Stark's new PA is a _kid_?" However, she gave no indication of having heard them, and instead proceeded with the presentation.

"Hello. As Mr. Stark said, I'm Avery Valiant, and I played a crucial part in designing and developing the car that you see here before you."

"On that note," said Tony, "Any questions before we begin?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark," said an older man, "I believe we'd all like to know the capabilities of this car."

"Yes...good. Strictly speaking, that wasn't a question but I'll allow it." Avery smiled as the board member opened his mouth to defend himself but was shut down as Tony began to speak once more. "Right, so this car has all the tricks. It was built fully compatible with any tech we could think of at the time. That means phones, computers, Bluetooth, basically anything. It comes equipped with it's own source of internet, able to connect almost anywhere on the globe and it has a state of the art security and GPS systems. At this point, I'll leave it to Miss Valiant to explain the details." He nodded at Avery, who stepped forward.

"As Mr. Stark said, the security system in this car is state of the art and is likely decades ahead of anything the other cars have. It's actually unlocked and locked via the owner's _fingerprint_ , which is also used to start the car. Aside from that, the glass has been treated to resist bullets and since the car can connect to the internet and interact with other devices, it has a firewall that rivals the one protecting the servers of this very company. The GPS can be tracked anywhere on Earth and due to the highly sensitive sensors and cameras located at many different points on the car's surface, it is actually self-driving." This elicited yet another round of exclamations from the assembled board members. Avery smiled. "Yes, the car can drive on its own, allowing the driver to eat, browse the internet, make calls, and even sleep, as an alarm is in place to alert the driver if the car's self-driving abilities were ever compromised."

This time a different board member, a woman, spoke. "Mr. Stark, this is all very well, but _surely_ the fuel costs for such a car must be out of range of most people's paychecks."

Tony cleared his throat. "Actually, they aren't, and don't call me Shirley." As the woman's mouth opened in protest, Tony bit back a smile. "The car actually runs on electricity, and because Avery and I foresaw the very problem you addressed, it only takes 60 minutes to reach full charge and can last up to a week." Avery smiled. The battery had taken them weeks by itself, but the end result was worth it. "Also," continued Tony, forestalling any interruptions by the board, "The entire surface area of the car is covered in state of the art, micro-sized, solar panels, so even if the car were to run out of charge, the driver would be able to accumulate enough energy to continue driving for another hour, assuming it isn't cloudy."

"But Mr. Stark, say this very problem were to occur. If this car is to be sold commercially, what would we tell consumers when they ask how solar panels would help when trapped in, say, a rain storm?"

"First of all, don't forget that this is still a prototype," said Tony, "Second, I can't solve _all_ your problems for you." Several of the board members looked exasperated, to say the least.

If Avery had to bet, she'd say that Tony had done something like this to them many times before. "Right," she said, "On that note, why don't we discuss the price?"

All of the board members looked at her incredulously. " _Price_?" asked one man, "Young lady, we haven't even discussed whether this car will even be _released_ to the public."

"Her name isn't 'young lady'," said Tony, rolling his eyes, "It's Avery. Or Miss Valiant. Or Doctor Valiant. Besides, everyone knows about the planet's energy crisis. It was, after all, part of the reason I decided to look into arc reactor technology. Sooner or later, there won't _be_ any gasoline-powered cars. Clean energy is the future and wouldn't you like it if Stark Industries became the first company to contribute by releasing an electrically-powered, energy-efficient vehicle?"

The board seemed to consider this. Avery noticed a few of them nodding. Finally the same man who had called her 'young lady' cleared his throat. "Very well Mr. Stark. We shall discuss pricing."

By the end of an hour, everything had been decided. The car designs would be distributed and the various factories owned by SI would begin to mass produce the parts. The public would be informed of the car in a few short days, during one of Tony's annual charity events where there was certain to be press present. Avery was relieved when the meeting was adjourned and the board members left. "I can't believe you have to deal with things like that on a daily basis," she said.

Tony laughed. "Yeah, it's almost worse than fighting supervillains."

Avery nodded and got into the car. "At least we can get out of here now."

Tony climbed into the driver's seat and started the car. The engine purred to life. Tony smiled in satisfaction. Avery gave a little laugh. He looked at her. "What? You helped build her too. You should be proud." He pulled out of the warehouse and began the drive back to Avengers Tower.

* * *

As they pulled into Tony's underground garage, the British voice of Jarvis greeted them. "Welcome back Mr. Stark, Miss Valiant. I trust the presentation went well?"

Tony smiled. "It did indeed, Jarvis." He parked the car, then he and Avery got out and entered the elevator.

"Which level would you like me to take you to, sir?"

"Uh...Avengers common level I guess," said Tony.

"Very well." The elevator quickly rose. When it reached the proper level, the doors opened, allowing Tony and Avery to step out. The only two Avengers present on the floor were Clint and Thor, who were engaged in a very violent looking game of Mario Kart.

"Hey Tony, Avery," said Clint without looking up from the game.

"Katniss," acknowledged Tony.

Thor looked up and his face split into a broad smile. "Ah, so Lady Valiant and the Man of Iron return triumphant?"

Tony smiled. "You betcha."

Thor's smile, if possible, grew even broader. "Excellent!" he boomed, "This calls for a feast of great caliber!"

Avery laughed. "Not tonight, Thor," she said, "I don't think I have enough energy left in me for a party."

Thor nodded. "I understand, Lady Valiant. Mortals do tire quite easily."

"You would too if you had to give a presentation to that board."

Tony laughed. "Can't argue with you there, kid. That was pretty grueling."

Avery nodded. "I am so ready to get back to working quietly in the lab!"

Tony laughed again. "I agree. Not that it's ever _quiet_." Avery rolled her eyes. That was true enough. The billionaire was always talking or had loud music playing. Not that she minded much. She enjoyed classic rock. "Anyway," Tony continued, "You might as well enjoy your free time while you can, cause the charity event is this Saturday."

Avery groaned and Clint smirked. "Hah! Sucks for you guys!" Avery glared at him and the only reason he didn't run in fear was because of his training.

Tony chuckled. "Just wait Birdbrain. There's at least one SI event the Avengers have to attend this year."

"What? Since when?!"

"Since I started housing your smelly ass in my tower, Feathers. And guess what? The event organizer is pulling out _all_ the stops with this one."

"What do you mean?" Clint asked suspiciously.

Just then, Avery remembered. At one point, she had looked at a list of Stark Industry events planned for that year and one had had 'Avengers' written next to it. She cackled. "The masquerade ball!" Tony nodded and winked at her.

Clint looked horrified and angry at the same time. "A masquerade ball?!" he exclaimed, "What is this, The Phantom of the Opera?!"

"That's right," said Tony smugly, "And guess what? Everyone has to be dressed in 'proper attire'."

All of a sudden, Clint grinned evilly. "But that means you'll have to be there too, since you're an Avenger."

Tony rolled his eyes. "No shit, Legolas. I'm Tony Freakin' Stark. I'd have to go anyway!"

Clint then looked confused. "But it's a masquerade! Why are _you_ okay with it?"

"Because it's worth putting up with to see you all in masquerade costumes."

"Okay! Well I'm really tired, so I think I'll head home now and get some rest," said Avery before making her escape from the argument that was sure to occur.

She could have had Happy drive her back, or hailed a cab, but she chose to walk instead, pulling on a hoodie against the chill wind. Nowadays, it didn't seem like there was much time for her to just stroll along the streets of Manhattan, especially with all the Stark Industry things she was putting up with. However, about halfway through her 20 minute walk home, another complication arose. She was passing an alleyway when she heard a _clang_. She turned, but nothing was there except for an empty dumpster. She turned back, about to continue, when she suddenly found herself surrounded by four men. Avery could have almost certainly taken them if not for the fact that all four carried knives, something she did not yet have enough experience with to handle. Instead, her eyes flashed to each one, assessing their positions and body language.

One of them jabbed with the knife. "Empty your pockets." Avery almost sighed in relief, glad that they appeared to be muggers and not something worse. The first man got closer to her. "Empty your pockets!" he repeated more forcefully.

Avery shook her head. The only thing she had on her was her SI phone, and that contained information too precious for her to let fall into anyone else's hands. Particularly people up to no good. The mugger's fist clenched around the knife and all four stepped closer. Avery thought quickly. Since hand-to-hand combat was out, her powers were the only solution left to her. She slowed her breathing, focusing her mind. Suddenly, she pushed at the first mugger, sending him flying back into the alley wall. Then she crouched, evading the slice of another of the mugger's knives while at the same time sending two of them smacking into one another. Finally she raised the last man a few feet into the air before letting him drop onto the ground. Then she walked away, leaving all four muggers out cold. At least she'd had her hood up so none of them had seen her face.

Back at her apartment, Avery opened the door to her room and promptly collapsed into a chair. She was still processing what she had done. _I just used my powers on other humans! I knocked them out! What if someone found out? What if I'm discovered?_ She briefly wondered if they'd consider her a mutant, then dismissed it. She did not have the X-gene. It was due to her father and his experimentation that she possessed her powers. That thought brought her back to her plans. She'd never liked thinking of it as revenge. More like... _vengeance_. That was it. Vengeance. After all, her father deserved everything coming his way. Her face hardened. It was nearing the time to pay back him for the pain he'd caused her, although she doubted that anything she did would make up for the dreams and thoughts that had haunted her mind ever since.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while since my last update but I swear I'm not going to let this story die on you guys. I started it, so I'm going to finish it. I've just been super busy with graduating high school and starting my new job. Not to mention the fact that I've gone into the full-out rough-drafting phase for the third installment of my Destiny series.
> 
> This chapter really isn't my favorite but I think the future ones will be better. Thank you all for your patience!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	9. Coverage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Avery arrived back in Avengers Tower the next day, glad to be back in her usual attire of sneakers, jeans, and a black hoodie. After not finding Tony in the lab, she made her way to the Avenger's common floor, where Steve and Clint were watching the news. They looked up as she entered. "Oh, hey Avery," said Clint.

"Hey Clint."

"Good morning," said Steve.

"Hi Steve... Have either of you seen Tony?"

Clint snorted. "Yeah. Pepper sent him to take a shower."

Steve elaborated when Avery gave a confused look. "Apparently Tony was in the lab all night and got covered in grease and oil." Steve sighed before turning his attention back to the screen. Staying up all night had long been a source of contention between he and Tony.

"Okay, thanks Steve," said Avery. She turned, about to go back down to the lab to wait for Tony, when she noticed the story on TV.

" _In what must have been a rather strange occurrence, four men were found unconscious in an alleyway by the NYPD. Later, these same men were discovered to have criminal rap sheets and when others in the area were questioned about what may have occurred,_ two _individuals reported seeing a hooded figure attacking the men. But here, ladies and gentlemen, is the cincher... Both of these residents reported that the attacker_ lifted _the men into the air by use of an unknown force. The question we are all asking now...does this mystery person possess superpowers and if so... whose side are they on?"_ Avery was frozen, rooted to the spot as the news anchor went on to describe some of the crimes the men were guilty of.

Clint laughed. "Just what we need! Another superpowered freak loose on the streets!"

Steve frowned. "How do we know they're against us?"

Clint snorted. "Steve, even after being an Avenger for just over a year, it's pretty generally known that whenever a freak with powers turns up we have a new supervillain of the week."

"Why would a villain go after muggers?"

Clint shrugged. "Who says he's going after them? Maybe they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Steve didn't look convinced. "I don't know, Clint. It seems like kind of a long leap to make."

"Hey, after a year of fighting a new supervillain pretty much twice every week, no leap is too long." Steve considered this point, then nodded.

At this, Avery finally managed to move her feet and entered the elevator. "Take me to the lab, please, Jarvis."

"Of course, Miss Valiant."

When the elevator came to a stop at level 70, Avery walked out and just stood in the middle of the lab trying to control her breathing. _I was seen! People saw me!_ _It's all over the news...even the Avengers know! ...Oh God! The_ Avengers _know! What if they go looking for me! I won't be able to keep it a secret!_ But suddenly other thoughts began making themselves heard. _The Avengers only deal with threats. So far I've only been a threat to those muggers. No way are the Avengers gonna come after me for taking out four muggers!_ And another part of her was proud of what she'd accomplished. _You stopped those men from mugging and possibly injuring innocent people. Think of what else you could do!_

Avery shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the thought. _If I continue to do this, eventually the Avengers will take notice. And why would they go after someone who's helping take down bad guys? You could practice honing your power even further...absolute control._ Avery still had no idea how far her powers could go. But she had seen Chronicle last weekend and - overlooking the disconcerting similarities between her and the main character - she was fascinated to see if she could do as much with her powers as the characters in the movie had done. She was especially interested in whether or not she could actually fly. (She figured she could, with enough practice).

But the point remained...she could be helping a lot more. _Why though?_ she thought, _Why should I become a_ vigilante _? Because you could help so many more people_ , a voice in her head answered, _If there had been someone to help_ you _when your father was conducting his experiments on you, wouldn't you want them to?_ Avery sighed. That was true. Throughout that period, she had hoped every day that someone would discover what her father was doing to her. And now that she had the ability to help people, it would be her fault if she didn't use it. Avery couldn't bear to think of other people suffering as she had because she was too selfish to use her gifts for the greater good.

She nodded. Her mind was made up...but...she had to prevent people from seeing her face. The only option available was a full face mask like the one on the Iron Man armor. But there was no way she was going to make a themed costume thank you very much. She needed something simple but efficient. All of a sudden, she knew what she wanted. She had a black zip up hoodie with a deep hood that would serve well to hide most of her face. If she needed, she could add in a black half mask. The most difficult part would be concealing her voice. She knew that people's voices were one of the most accurate ways to identify them, and even though anyone she went after (hopefully) wouldn't know her, she couldn't risk anyone she _did_ know overhearing her through a recording or otherwise.

She hummed to herself. The voice changer would take about a day to complete if she used materials from Tony's lab. She groaned. She couldn't have it stuck to her face or over her mouth. The only way would be to make a small chip to attach to her throat a la Mission Impossible. She groaned again. Maybe this was more trouble than it was worth.

* * *

The next day Avery was in the lab carefully soldering the chip together. She had come to the conclusion that her own soldering iron wasn't precise enough for the job. Luckily, due to the abundance of advanced tech Tony liked to surround himself with, the chip would be finished sooner than she could've hoped. In fact, as soon as she finished soldering, it would be ready for use. However Tony chose this exact moment to barge in. "Hey kid, whatcha working on?" he asked curiously, walking over.

Avery thought quickly. "Uh...prototype of a new thing I thought up. A...Wifi chip. You know, small enough to take with you anywhere?"

"Awesome! Be sure to tell me when it's finished. This is something we could market!"

Avery winced inwardly, feeling a bit guilty for lying to him. _Note to self: invent Wifi chip._ "Uh, sure thing Tony."

Tony nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to it, then," he said, "Got some upgrades I wanna make to the Mark IX."

Avery sighed in relief when Tony left and continued her soldering. She knew Jarvis could probably scan the chip and instantly tell it wasn't what she said it was, but she also knew he wouldn't do that without cause. A few minutes later, the chip was complete. Avery turned off the soldering iron and admired her creation for a second before putting it in her pocket. "Hey, Jarvis, what time is it?"

The AI responded instantly. "The time is 8:15 Post Meridiem."

"Yikes, I should really get going. Could you tell Tony that I've gone home for the day?"

"Certainly, Miss Valiant. I shall inform him at once."

"Thanks Jarvis."

When Avery got home, she finally put on her voice changer chip and activated it. Then she had no idea what to say. "Uh...this is a test?" To her satisfaction, her voice came out like a deeper version of Tony's Iron Man voice. She was extremely pleased with the result. She grabbed her hoodie off the back of the sofa and put it on. Then she flipped up the hood and went into the bathroom to see the results. The hood did a good job of hiding her face Assassin's Creed style, but she noticed a problem almost immediately.

 _How am I supposed to keep the hood on if I have to do any parkour or even just running?_ After dismissing several solutions such as wearing a beanie and velcroing the hood to it, she finally came to a conclusion that gave her the least hassle. About an hour later, Avery had finished lining the hood with aluminum wire and weighing it down at the front. After she did this, she tested it by doing some basic parkour in her apartment. To her relief, the hood stayed in place, even after she had done several flips. Now her only remaining problem was the mask. She powered on her laptop and logged in to Amazon. She typed in 'black half mask' to the search bar. Instantly she was given nearly 20,000 results. With a sigh, she began scrolling through.

After about forty-five minutes, Avery finally found a promising mask. It was the typical 'mask' shape and was built out of sturdier materials than typically seen in masks, most of which were plastic and broke instantly. What's more, this specific mask was said to require no string, instead molding to the face of the wearer. That may be why the price was listed at $679. After checking the reviews and seeing most of them at 5 stars, Avery decided to order the mask. As she was maintaining a steady income from working at Stark Industries, Avery had been able to purchase things like new furniture, clothes, and an Amazon Prime membership. She decided to use said membership to order the mask, giving her free shipping and a guaranteed delivery of the next day.

After she typed in her shipping and billing information, Avery closed her laptop with a sigh. It seemed she was really going through with the whole 'vigilante' thing. She wondered for a second if she was crazy before reminding herself that she would have the chance to do good and help people that the cops couldn't help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fun fact for you guys: velcroing a hood to a beanie is how they kept Stephen Amell's hood on in Arrow during all the action scenes. 
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	10. The Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

The next day was spent preparing for the charity gala that evening. Pepper had Happy pick Avery up and take her to the tower, where she was promptly ambushed by a team of makeup artists, hair stylists, and various fashion consultants. Luckily there wasn't much they could do with her hair, other than applying some light mousse, so she was finished earlier than anticipated.

She walked into Pepper's office sporting eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, highlighter, and dark red lipstick. "What the heck was that all about?" she demanded.

Pepper looked up from her paperwork and smiled. "Sorry about that. Tony can be a bit...much."

Avery's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her hairline. "That was _Tony_?!" Pepper nodded. "Why on Earth would Tony go to all that trouble?"

Pepper sighed. "Tony can be very...obsessive. This is your first event, your first time in front of the press. Not to mention the presentation of the new Stark Industries Car. A lot rests on this gala and Tony wants everything to go perfectly."

Avery nodded. "I see...Well, then, which dress should I wear?"

Pepper smiled. "Pick whichever dress works for you."

That evening, Avery was driven up to the Central Bar Lounge in her royal blue evening gown and heels. Pepper had also encouraged her to wear a matched set of a silver necklace and drop earrings to 'complete her look.' Avery breathed deeply several times. In and out. Happy noticed and turned back to smile reassuringly at her. "Don't worry. You'll do great."

Avery nodded despite her nervousness. Tony had insisted on arriving before her. He was in there now, most likely mingling with all the rich people and board members. Avery's breathing intensified as her nerves threatened to overwhelm her.

"Hey," said Happy, "Calm down. Count out your breaths. Take a breath for five seconds, hold for five, then release for five."

Avery did what he said and after a few minutes of breathing, finally calmed down. "Thanks Happy... How did you know about that?"

Happy sighed. "The first time I helped someone with that was about...2 or 3 years ago. Tony...he was having one of his bad days, so I told him to breathe in counts of five to stop him from hyperventilating... Nice to know it works for other people as well."

Avery was silent as she processed this. She couldn't imagine Tony hyperventilating over anything. "What happened to Tony that made him...you know?"

Happy sighed again. "Tony didn't release much information about his time in Afghanistan to the public, so I wouldn't expect you to know this, but...they tortured him over there."

Avery felt as though the Earth had suddenly reversed its rotation under her feet. " _Tony_?"

"Yeah. They wanted him to build them a missile and he refused... After he got back, well, he hid it really well and no one knew there was anything wrong. But then the reactor started acting up..."

"Palladium poisoning."

"Yeah...How'd you know that?" Even he hadn't known until long after the fact.

Avery shrugged. "Palladium just isn't meant to interact with a human body like that."

"Yeah, well, he still didn't let on that anything was wrong. He was dying and no one had any idea. But around then, his flashbacks started to get worse. Maybe it was something the poisoning was doing to his body that triggered them, I don't know, but that's when I first saw an attack and as far as I know, he still uses the exercise."

Avery was silent for a few seconds. Now she just wanted to give Tony a hug. "It's funny," she said to Happy, "Counting breaths is actually part of a meditation technique. I should've remembered it, but..."

"I understand," said Happy.

"...I suppose I'd better get out now."

"Don't worry. I'll be with you."

"You will?"

Happy laughed. "It's my job, protecting you and Tony."

Avery said nothing, but she felt a bit better. She turned to stare at the car door and counted internally. _One...two...three...go!_ She couldn't move. She almost started to hyperventilate again, but remembered her breathing.

Happy seemed to sense her struggle. "Here, I'll get out first. That way it won't be so hard." He got out of the driver's seat, throwing the keys to a nearby valet. Then he made his way around to Avery's door. He leaned over and pulled it open. Avery stepped out, expecting to see a horde of press members, but luckily they were so busy assaulting other people with their cameras and microphones that no one noticed her or Happy as they walked inside.

It took exactly 6.49 seconds for Tony to find her once she and Happy entered the building. She'd just walked in and was still taking in the decor when Tony appeared in front of her. "What took you so long?" he asked, "Nevermind, it's almost time for the thing." He handed her a glass of champagne from a nearby table which she promptly handed to Happy.

"What thing?"

"You know..." He waved his hand around. "The press release thing." He smiled brightly at her. "You're gonna be formally introduced as an SI employee!"

Avery felt the sudden urge to get her drink back. "You- _what_?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "For someone with a doctorate in engineering, you can sure be dense sometimes."

"I could say the same about _you_!"

He waved her off. "Not important. Come on!" He grabbed her wrist and dragged her through the crowded room. She saw where he was headed: a raised dais with a speaker's podium. She tried to tug herself free, but Tony Stark was not to be deterred. She looked back to Happy for help but the unfortunate bodyguard had been thwarted by the throng of people and was now several feet away.

Finally, Tony reached the platform. "Don't worry," he said, "Everything'll go perfectly - you look great by the way - I introduce you, you join me up here, we talk about the car, we're finished before you can say 'Avengers Assemble!'" Avery sighed. Taking this for consent, he stepped in front of the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Instantly, the talk died down and everyone seemed to gravitate towards the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen!" Tony repeated. "You could've been anywhere in the world tonight...but you're here with me in the Central Bar Lounge - fantastic venue, by the way, wonder who picked that out? Anyway, are you ready for the latest in the line of Stark Industries' foray into clean energy?" There was an enthusiastic roar of applause. "I'll take that as a yes! But before we get to that, I'd like to introduce a very special person. Someone who has tirelessly dedicated their time and energy to furthering our progress. Someone that is not only SI's top engineer - myself excluded - but also my new PA. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Doctor Avery Valiant!"

Recognizing her cue, Avery stepped up onto the platform and crossed to the podium. At her appearance, the applause gave way into a shocked silence. Avery had expected this, if her experience with the board members was anything to go by. Tony grinned at her as she took the mic. "Thanks Tony." She turned to face the audience. "As Mr. Stark said, I'm Avery Valiant, the new PA and engineer at Stark Industries. But before we reveal anything, are there any questions?" Immediately, all of the reporters in the room raised their hands. Avery was slightly taken aback, but she refused to let this show. Instead, she pointed to one of the reporters.

"Toby Ackerman, _Times_. Miss Valiant, when did you first start working for Stark Industries?"

"About a month ago maybe? I haven't been working there for that longâ€¦ Yes?"

"Kristie Gifford, _Daily News_. Miss Valiant, how do you feel about replacing Pepper Potts as Mr. Stark's PA, especially knowing about Mr. Stark's affair with her?"

Avery thought she heard Tony indignantly mutter "'Affair'? Who does she think she is?"

Flustered by the question, she had several false starts while answering. "Um, I think she leaves big footsteps to follow in, and it'll be hard living up to that... In fact, I'd like to congratulate Miss Potts both on becoming CEO and on putting up with the many...unsolicited articles that most likely accompanied that accomplishment."

"Way to go, kiddo!" Tony stage whispered.

From there, the questions became increasingly personal and unrelated.

"Miss Valiant, is it true that you're a doctor?"

"Yes. I have a PhD in engineering."

"Miss Valiant, from which university did you graduate?"

"I graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University."

"Miss Valiant, while working in the tower, have you ever met the Avengers?"

"Yes, I've spoken with them several times."

"Miss Valiant, exactly how old are you?"

At this point, Tony took the microphone back. "Whoa there!" he said with mock good nature. "Don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman her age? I know you'd probably like to be here all night asking her questions, but the staff here gets paid by the hour. I might be a multi-billionaire, but we all know how some of you reporter-types can eat!" This evoked a few laughs. "We're not here to play Twenty Questions. We're here to reveal to you the next step into the future! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...the Stark Industries Smart Car!"

With that, a dark blue curtain drew aside to reveal the car that Avery and Tony had spent weeks designing and perfecting. There was an audible gasp from the audience. Tony let them stand in awe for a moment before continuing. "This car is truly one of a kind. It uses fingerprint recognition technology to both unlock and start, and is actually capable of driving itself due to the installation of many micro sized cameras and sensors and a state of the art GPS system. It's also Bluetooth compatible and brings its own source of WiFi. But the best part is it's completely green! It runs on electricity and solar power and a one hour charge can last up to a week. In just a month these babies will be manufactured nationwide, but since this is a charity event, with every purchase of a SICar, an $100,000 donation will be made to the charity of your choice. Now, I know you probably have questions, but frankly, I don't want to answer them. Thank you and goodnight!"

With that, Tony grabbed Avery's hand and pulled her into the crowd. No one had time to notice their escape because they were all still taken aback by Tony's parting words. Tony made a sudden turn away from the exit. "What? Tony, the exit's that way!"

"I know. I told Happy to meet us by the back door." Before Avery could ask him when he'd had time to talk to Happy, she was being pulled through a door into the cold night air. Tony let go of her wrist and checked his watch. "Where the hell is he?"

Just then, Happy pulled up in the limo. "Hey boss." Tony and Avery got in, and Happy sped off.

After a couple minutes of silence, Tony spoke. "So, what did you think?"

Avery looked at him incredulously. "Of _what_?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "My speech!"

"Oh... Well, I liked the Hamilton reference at the beginning."

Tony looked delighted. "You know Hamilton!"

Now Avery rolled her eyes. "I wasn't living under a rock! I own the entire soundtrack."

"This is great! No one else in the tower appreciates it."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Okay well none of them have seen it apart from Tasha and Clint. Thor doesn't know what it is and Bruce says I'm too obsessed."

"Really? No way! You?!"

Tony sounded miffed. "I can appreciate sarcasm, Valiant, but that's just ridiculous. Anyway, Cap seems interested in seeing it, but Tasha insists that it wasn't that good - which is just blasphemy. It's just 'cause she hasn't seen it with the original cast. Then there's Barton who goes around the tower referencing it at _every_ opportunity and singing 'My Shot' at the top of his lungs."

Avery snorted. " _Please_. Like you don't."

"...True, but c'mon, Miranda's a genius with lyrics. It's impossible _not_ to."

Avery sighed. "I'd give anything to see it performed by the original cast, but ticket prices are up in the thousands nowâ€¦"

Tony feigned being offended. "Do you know who you're talking to? Darling, I could buy out the entire show if I wanted to! Getting tickets isn't a problem."

Avery's eyes widened. "You could do it?"

"Hell yeah! I'm Tony Stark, I can do anything. I could get tickets for all the Avengers, make it one of those 'team bonding' things the Captain drools over. Heck, I could even get us a backstage pass to meet the cast!"

Avery swore her heart stopped. "No way!"

"Way!"

"No, I don't believe you!"

"I'll do it! I've only waited because I wanted someone who _appreciates_ it as much as I do to see it with me."

"...Has anyone told you that you're a huge nerd?"

"Pepper tells me every week, Clint tells me every day."

Avery could have jumped through the ceiling. "This is amazing! I can't believe I'm gonna see Hamilton with the original cast!"

"Yep. Just gotta set a date. By the way...Hogan! Music!" Happy rolled his eyes, knowing which song his boss wanted. He turned on the stereo and pressed play. Avery grinned as she heard the opening lyrics. " _How does a bastard, orphaned, son of a whore and a Scotsman dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor grow up to be a hero and a scholar..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you couldn't tell, I'm a Hamilton fan. I can't tell you what inspired me to post another chapter so soon (and the one that will be following) other than it's probable due to me avoiding working on part three of Chasing Fate. 
> 
> Anyway, buckle your seatbelts cuz things are gonna start getting interesting kiddos!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	11. Motives and Motifs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Life went pretty much back to normal for Avery after the gala, despite the fact that she was now a public figure in Stark Industries. She still worked on inventions with Tony, took combat lessons from Natasha, and went to the gym on a weekly basis. However, she also continued with her nightly escapades and keeping her vigilante identity a secret was definitely harder than she'd first thought. True, her costume was easy to conceal, and she'd become a lot better at improvisation in all areas, but hiding a part of herself from people she saw nearly every day was no easy task. Particularly since she'd started becoming noticed. While she was nowhere near Avenger, Spider-Man, or even Daredevil level, people still knew of her. She tried to use her abilities as little as possible, but hand-to-hand combat didn't always cut it. As such, there were now several videos of her using her powers, whether taken from security cameras or bystanders' cell phones. Of course, the footage wasn't all that _good_ as she worked almost exclusively at night, but it was still out there, as evidenced by the news story Tony and Steve were watching when she walked in. The headline read 'Midtown Menace Strikes Again!' Avery rolled her eyes at the name. The only reason she stuck to midtown was because she could only cover so much ground with parkour. She assumed this was also Daredevil's reason for staying in Hell's Kitchen.

Today the news was covering her takedown of a gang of bank robbers. She didn't understand how they could show things like that and still call her a 'menace,' but the same thing had happened to both Spider-Man and Daredevil, even if the press went easier on them nowadays. She sat down on a chair near Steve and Tony and nearly sighed when she heard their conversation.

"I'm just saying if the NYPD isn't gonna question the motives of some random whackjob, they pretty much deserve to be fired," said Tony.

Steve sighed as though they'd been over this point several times before. "Tony, they've tried to apprehend him before. It's not like they're doing nothing. Besides, I honestly don't see why they'd arrest a guy for doing the right thing."

Tony gave an over exaggerated gasp. "The great Captain America wants to let a vigilante run _rampant_?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "It's not like that. I believe in the police's ability to do their job, but I also don't think they can catch everything that happens."

"I honestly never thought you'd say that."

"What did you think I'd say?"

"I dunno, probably something about 'trusting law enforcement' and 'not taking matters into your own hands.'"

Steve laughed. "Seriously? Don't you remember where I came from? When I was a kid in Brooklyn, I always got myself into fights because I stood up against bullies. And now someone might get arrested for doing the same thing?"

Tony shook his head. "It's not the same thing, Cap. Sure, you fought bullies in the streets, but this guy...this guy has an agenda. We just don't know what it is yet."

"Tony, he goes after criminals. He's not dangerous."

"Not _yet_."

Avery wasn't sure how to feel about what she was hearing. She knew Tony might have a point, but she was a bit hurt that he thought she should be arrested.

As if Tony had heard her thoughts, he looked over. "Kid! How bout you share _your_ opinion. What do you think about this 'Midtown Menace'?"

_Oh shit._ "...Well for starters, I think that's a pretty horrible nickname."

Both Steve and Tony laughed at that. "That it is... but c'mon. What do you _really_ think? Details!"

Avery shrugged. "To be honest, I agree with Steve... Is it really such a bad thing to have a vigilante cleaning up the streets?"

Tony sighed in fake exasperation. "You and Steve are a regular pair of naïve idealists! You just wait... Sooner or later, things will go bad and when they do, I'll be the one singing 'I told you so' at the top of my lungs."

Over the next few weeks, Avery increased her activity to five nights a week, going out and testing herself against the scum of Manhattan. With each passing night, she honed her combat, parkour, and stealth skills along with her powers. Eventually, the criminals got wise and started moving their crime away from midtown. Due to this, Avery expanded her patrol out to Hell's Kitchen and Upper East Side. In fact, she was catching her breath sitting on the roof of one of the many apartment buildings in Hell's Kitchen when she got the distinct feeling that someone was behind her.

* * *

Matthew Murdock - Daredevil to the population of Manhattan - was out on his nightly patrol. He had just discovered and dismantled another human trafficking ring and as such, was currently not in a good mood.

He was crossing over a rooftop when he heard a heartbeat nearby. This was not overly unusual, as Matt heard many heartbeats during his patrols. However, this one struck him as odd for two reasons. First, it was coming from the roof of an adjacent building. Second, it was noticeably faster than normal. Matt stopped to listen more carefully. He could detect no hint of fear in the stranger's breathing or body language, although he did pick up a strange electrical whine coming from their throat. A gadget of some kind. Now his interest was definitely piqued. He decided to investigate.

Noiselessly, he crossed to the other building. He could tell the stranger was sitting on the edge of the building, their back to him. He straightened up and began walking towards them. But when he was only a few feet away, he stopped in his tracks. Something was wrong. The stranger's heart rate jumped and sped up slightly. They knew he was there. _But how?_ His approach had been next to silent. No one should've heard him coming. There was a small air shift as the stranger turned their head. Then a scraping and a larger shift as the stranger swiveled and stood up. Strangely enough, their heartbeat didn't sound scared. Instead, it beat evenly and there was a strange sense of waiting. Were they expecting something? "Who are you?" he demanded, voice slightly harsher than usual.

"Someone who just wants to enjoy the night air." Their heartbeat gave it away as a lie.

Matt glared. "You lied. Don't do it again."

The stranger shifted. Surprise in their voice. "How did you know?"

Matt was frustrated. He couldn't tell their gender. The electronic gadget he'd heard on their neck had to be some kind of voice changer. They sounded almost mechanical. "My secret."

Air movement. Possibly a shrug. "Whatever. You don't have to tell me."

This stranger was starting to piss Matt off. "What are you doing in Hell's Kitchen?"

Another shrug. "Why do you care what I'm doing here?"

"This is my city." Matt's voice got dangerously low. The stranger tensed up and Matt growled. He wanted them out of Hell's Kitchen.

He slowly advanced, his senses telling him that the stranger was shifting into an attack position, their heat rate rising. They wouldn't get the chance. Moving almost too fast for the eye to see, Matt lunged at the stranger, kicking out at their legs and aiming a blow at their face. Neither landed. The stranger twisted, flipping effortlessly through the air in a movement not unlike one of Matt's own maneuvers. They were now several feet away. Matt made to close the distance but found himself halted by an invisible force. He tried to break free of it, but he couldn't move. Whatever it was, it was incorporeal to his senses. It seemed to be some form of energy. Matt knew the stranger had to be the source. "What did you do to me?" he demanded.

"Relax. I'll let you go. But first, I need to know you won't try to attack me."

Matt hesitated for a second before nodding. He felt the energy release him and he straightened up. "How do I know you're not a criminal?" He was pretty sure they weren't seeing as they didn't kill him when they could have, but it was still a valid question.

The stranger laughed, the sound oddly distorted by whatever they had on their neck. "How do I know _you_ aren't?"

Matt's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. He didn't know how to reply to that. He assumed everyone knew about Daredevil by now.

They laughed again. "Nah, I know who you are. Everyone knows about Daredevil... So you're Hell's Kitchen's vigilante?" Matt nodded. "Well, as a co-worker, I'd say you're doing a great job of cleaning up this city. Your takedown of Fisk was impressive."

_Co-worker?_ They had to mean vigilante. Matt didn't really watch the news, but he remembered overhearing a conversation between Foggy and Karen about a new vigilante in Manhattan. "So you're the 'Midtown Menace'?"

There was a sharp movement of their hand. A wave. "Yep, that's me. Not the most fashionable of names, but then, neither is 'the Devil of Hell's Kitchen'."

That was true. The media had not been kind when Matt first appeared. "Well then, what is a midtown vigilante doing in Hell's Kitchen?"

"Criminals got wise and moved out here after I increased my presence. Now most of the major stuff happens outside of midtown."

Matt nodded. That was pretty much standard criminal behavior. "Were you trained or do you have superpowers, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind. Vigilante confidentiality right? Both. I'm trained in hand-to-hand and I parkour, but I also have...abilities."

Matt tilted his head. The stranger sounded bitter about something. They probably didn't have the greatest childhood. He could sympathize. No one in their line of work seemed to.

"What about you?"

Matt wasn't expecting that. "I was trained in hand-to-hand."

"Ah. But no...powers?"

Matt shook his head. He didn't think of his senses as powers, and if he did, he still wouldn't go telling random strangers about them, even if said stranger was in the same line of work. "I assume you wouldn't listen if I asked you to stay out of Hell's Kitchen?"

"Probably not. I go where the criminals go. Say...are you out every night?" Matt nodded. "Well, how about we team up every once in awhile? It doesn't hurt to have someone watch your back, right?"

That might not be the worst idea. Matt figured that he'd at least be able to keep a closer eye on the stranger...so to speak. "I suppose."

The stranger laughed. "Awesome. Well, I'm sure I'll see you around... Hey, can I call you DD?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "Only if I get to call you Double M."

They laughed again. "Deal... Anyway, I'd better get back. Having both a day and night job isn't easy." Matt's lips twitched. "Well...catch you later, DD."

Matt tracked the vigilante's movements as they parkoured away from the building. Only when they passed out of his range did he make his way down the fire escape towards the distant screams of someone getting mugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom! Bet no one expected that. By the way, I'd like to clarify this timeline a bit. The story is set after the first Avengers movie but before the rest that came out. For Matt, it's sometime after the end of season 1 but before season 2.
> 
> Side note, I'm sorry how irregular these updates are. I have a lot to focus on and at the moment, my Destiny series is taking up most of my time. I have a lot of plans for that series but never enough time to write. (Speaking of my Destiny series, I highly suggest checking it out if you're a fan of Destiny or even just interested in the story. I think everything's explained well enough that you don't have to have played the game to understand it). 
> 
> Shameless self-promotion aside, thank you guys for your continuing interest in this story. I'll see you all in the next chapter!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	12. Complications

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

There was a new bounce in Avery's footstep as she entered the lab the next day. She had met Daredevil! The Hell's Kitchen vigilante himself! She had been mildly surprised at his appearance, though since the media always seemed to portray him being larger than life. But she guessed that went for most things.

Tony looked up from his workbench as she entered. "Well, if it isn't Miss Sunshine! What's got you in such a good mood?"

Avery shrugged. "I guess it's just one of those days."

"Huh. Well come over here and put that extra energy to good use. You'll have to supply most of the energy in this brainstorming session since DUM-E broke my coffee maker."

"Couldn't you just use one from another floor?"

"No time... Now, help me figure this out. The output for this thing just doesn't look right..."

* * *

"And you're sure they're in there?" Avery looked to Daredevil for confirmation. He nodded and Avery shrugged. She knew Daredevil had a way of knowing things about people. Where they were, how many were there, even what their next moves were going to be. She figured he had some kind of ability she didn't know about, but she didn't begrudge him for wanting to keep it a secret. Still, whatever it was, it came in useful when they were teaming up.

For example, right now they were on the second floor of an abandoned building that was being used as a meet up for a drug cartel. Ever since Daredevil had taken down Wilson Fisk, large scale crime had become rarer, and anyone still in business fought twice as hard to stay in business. Avery was pretty sure the cartel's leader suspected they were found out, which was probably why the gathering was happening in the first place. Currently they were debating over where to move their 'business' to. Luckily Daredevil had found them before they actually did.

The other vigilante turned towards her. "I'm going in." Avery nodded and moved to accompany him, but held back when he put up a hand. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather do this part alone. We shouldn't have both of us down there anyway...you might have to provide backup."

But Avery knew his real reasoning for leaving her behind. _He still doesn't trust me._ She wasn't surprised. After all, they had only known each other for a little over a week and their conversations were strictly professional. She nodded. "Sounds good."

With that, Daredevil turned and slowly made his way down the stairs to the ground floor. Avery settled into a position near the stairs comfortable enough to stay in, but also ready enough that she could join the fray in seconds if required. After a few minutes, she saw the lights for the floor below go out. She grinned. Daredevil preferred to fight in the dark, and while Avery knew it gave him a tactical advantage - as he could somehow still tell where his enemies were - it proved more of a hindrance to her.

She tilted her head, listening. She could hear the shouts of confusion and the uncertain shuffling of the men. There were clicks as several cocked their guns. Avery swallowed, trying not to worry. _Daredevil can handle himself_. Sure enough, disorder broke through the group and Avery could hear a lot of grunting and impacts as the men were quickly taken down. Several shots rang out, and she thought she heard a hiss. Then after one final thud, there was silence. Avery sighed. All the men were down. Unfortunately, through the silence, Avery could hear the distinct sound of a truck pulling up. She instinctively knew it was more bad guys. Who else could it be? She cursed under her breath and hoped Daredevil could take them out quickly.

The doors of the building slammed against the walls as they were violently shoved open. Avery heard many sets of footsteps enter the building, and their owners' ensuing confusion at the lack of light. Then she heard fast, light steps move towards them, accompanied by the impact of bodies hitting the floor. Instantly, the rest were put on alert. They seemed to separate, looking, perhaps, for their unseen adversary. Suddenly, light flooded the room, making its way under the crack of the stairwell door. A pit of dread formed in Avery's stomach. Light meant they could see Daredevil. Sure enough, there were loud exclamations of surprise and fear. They clearly knew who Daredevil was. Avery stood up. Daredevil might not have called her, but she knew there were still too many guys down there for him to fight off alone. She opened the stairwell door, squinting against the light, and crept down to the ground floor.

Things were not good. A myriad of unconscious bodies decorated the floor, some with guns next to them. But there were still seven men left. And they were all converging on one red-costumed figure. Avery bit back a gasp when she saw Daredevil. The horned vigilante had taken a shot to the right shoulder and the wound was bleeding heavily. _I hope the bullet didn't hit bone._

Knowing she couldn't waste anymore time, Avery sprinted forward, drawing the attention of the men. Four of them turned towards her while the other three stayed on Daredevil. Avery flung two into the wall using her powers and engaged the other two in hand-to-hand combat. They were down in less than thirty seconds. She whirled to find Daredevil fighting the remaining three off all at once, but he was not doing so well. He took down one only to get jumped by the other two. Avery flung one into the ceiling, then swept out the other one's legs from under him. His head collided with the floor - out cold. Avery turned to Daredevil. The vigilante was very obviously listing to one side.

Avery walked closer to take a closer look at the bullet wound. She frowned. "This isn't good. You've lost a lot of blood... We should get you to a hospital-"

"No hospitals." Daredevil spoke with gritted teeth.

"Are you sure? 'Cause you really-"

"No. Hospitals."

Avery sighed. He clearly wasn't going to budge. "And I don't suppose you'll tell me where you live?" His silence was her answer. "We need to get out of here before the cops show up. They still don't like me all that much." Daredevil turned and took a step, but nearly collapsed. Avery moved in front of him, holding out her hands though whether to stop him or catch him she wasn't sure. "Whoa. You are not okay. You really need to get this looked at."

Daredevil slung his arm over her shoulders. "Got a...friend. Nurse."

"Okay...where does she live?" Daredevil didn't respond. "Where does she live? ...Hey! Daredevil!" The vigilante slumped over, putting all his weight on her. Avery staggered as she tried to keep them both upright. "Great," she muttered, "Daredevil's unconscious and I can't even take him to a hospital." She sighed. There was only one thing she could do.

How to go about it was a different problem entirely. She gently lowered Daredevil onto the ground. Then, taking a deep breath, she reached out her hand, concentrating hard, lifting the other vigilante into the air. Avery let out a huff. "This should work as long as no one sees us..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how short this chapter was. I hope it was entertaining all the same. 
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	13. Secrets Exposed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Matt groaned and tried to sit up, but he was stopped almost instantly by the pain in his shoulder. He reached over with his left hand to probe the area and felt a bandage under his fingers. Apparently someone had removed his shirt and gloves and bandaged him he noticed that he was lying on something soft. _A couch_? Memories of waking up at Claire's place flooded his mind and he frantically felt his face. _Thank God._ Whoever had helped him had left his mask on. He took a deep breath before righting himself. _Where am I?_

He tilted his head. Apartment building. There were several heartbeats on the same floor, and even more above and below. He could also make out the whirring of the elevator as it descended. Outside, he could hear the sounds of traffic, pedestrians, and food vendors. For that many people to be up and about, it had to be daytime. He felt a flutter of panic in his chest as he wondered how he could leave without being seen. Then he heard footsteps heading towards him from another part of the apartment, accompanied by a distinctly loud heartbeat. It was the so-called 'Midtown Menace'. Double M.

He or she entered the room already talking. "Oh, you're up. Good. I wasn't sure if something had gone wrong." They were still wearing the voice changer.

"Gone wrong with what?" Matt's voice croaked hoarsely as he spoke.

'Double M' crossed to a different part of the room. Matt heard a cabinet opening and the sink running. Then they shut off the sink and walked back over to Matt. They held something out. Matt took it, feeling a glass. He took a sip. Water. He drank a bit more. "Thanks." 'Double M' made a hand gesture, presumably waving him off. He repeated his question. "What did you think had gone wrong?"

They took a seat across from him. "You were shot in the shoulder."

Matt nodded. "Yes." He wasn't stupid.

"The, um, bullet...it didn't go through so while you were unconscious I removed it. Then I cleaned and bandaged the wound... You'll be fine."

Matt nodded again. "Where am I?"

They laughed strangely. "My apartment. You didn't tell me where to take you, so I brought you back here."

"Oh. Thank you... You didn't have to-"

"I wasn't about to leave you there injured."

Matt didn't comment on that. Instead he asked, "Why didn't you take my mask off?"

'Double M' shrugged. "I figured it was up to you to reveal your identity."

"Well, thanks then."

"It's no problem."

There was an awkward silence. Matt shifted, wincing when the movement jostled his injury. He felt oddly connected to the other vigilante. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because they both worked to make their city a better place. Maybe it was because they'd saved his life. _It would be nice to be able to trust someone else_.

Then 'Double M' broke the silence. "Listen...I know you're gonna leave sometime and I figure you'll end up seeing my name on the plate when you do..."

That was awkward. They didn't know he was blind. Matt wanted to tell them their secret was safe, but then 'Double M' did something he never expected. They took off their hood. Matt could tell because of the way the air currents moved around their head. He wasn't sure how to react. He supposed he should look surprised, but it didn't make any difference to him whether or not their face was exposed. He sensed them reach up to their neck. The constant buzzing of the voice device ceased. Matt barely refrained from sitting up expectantly. He was about to hear their _real_ voice.

"I figure...it'll just make things easier if I show you who I am."

Matt stiffened in surprise. The voice was young. Young and female. Late teens, maybe early twenties. _Well...that's nothing like I expected._

She held out a hand. "Avery. Avery Valiant."

Matt blinked in surprise. _Avery Valiant. Where have I heard that name before_? He reached out and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you." Just then, it came to him. _Avery Valiant! Tony Stark's new PA!_ He remembered the news story because Foggy had dragged him over and made him watch it, all while maintaining a never-ending stream of astonishments. "She's so young! And she's a doctor! A _doctor_ , Matt!" If this was the same Avery Valiant, that put her at 21 years old. _21! She's barely the legal drinking age and she's out fighting crime?!_

Avery stood up, bringing Matt's attention back to the present. "You'll probably want some street clothes. Hold on..." She returned a few minutes later holding something out. "I ordered these off the internet and they're much too big so I figured you could wear them."

Matt took the item. It was a pair of sweatpants. "Thank you."

"Oh, and here." She thrust something else into his arms. It felt like a hoodie. "That one I stole from Tony... He's a billionaire, he can buy more."

Matt raised his eyebrows. She really did work for Stark. He wondered if the billionaire knew about his PA's status as a vigilante. _Probably not. If he did, she'd most likely be in the Avengers or something_. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble. Bathroom's over there." She pointed.

Matt wanted to sigh. There was no way he could find the bathroom without letting on that he was blind. He could hear heartbeats and the noises from outside, but he really didn't think his directional skills were at their best currently _._ It also really helped when he knew his surroundings. _Might as well tell her now... It's not like I wasn't going to tell her after she told me anyway._ "Listen," he said, "You told me your identity... It's only fair that you know mine."

She shook her head. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me."

It was Matt's turn to shake his head. "No. I want to. In fact, I pretty much owe it to you." He set the sweatshirt and sweatpants aside before deliberately moving his hands up to his head and removing his mask.

* * *

Avery's eyes widened in surprise as she took in the face of the man in front of her. He looked nothing like she'd expected. He looked a good deal younger and a lot less menacing without the mask. And he wasn't too hard to look at, either. Then she noticed his eyes. They were warm and hazel-colored, but there was an odd quality of emptiness to them. A suspicion forming, she waved her hand broadly from side to side. Daredevil turned his head to follow the movement, but his eyes didn't track. _Holy shit! Daredevil's blind?!_ How could Daredevil be blind?! Avery had seen him personally kick ass with lots of flips and cool ninja moves.

"I know what you're thinking." Avery looked at him. "You're wondering how I can be blind and still do what I do." She nodded. Daredevil sighed. "When I was 9 years old, I got in an accident. Chemicals got into my eyes and blinded me, but all of my other senses were enhanced. Better everything. I navigate by using a sort of 'radar sense'. It's a bit like echolocation."

"That's amazing! I can't believe that Daredevil - that _you_ \- are a _blind_ vigilante!"

He stood up and offered his hand. "Matt Murdock, lawyer by day, vigilante by night."

Avery shook his hand. "Lawyer... I remember reading something online a little while ago. Are you the Murdock in Nelson and Murdock?" Matt nodded. Avery's jaw dropped. "You were one of the lawyers that took on Fisk! I can't believe it! You were on _both_ sides of it?" He nodded again. "That's incredible." There was a slight pause as something sank in. "So when I pointed to the bathroom â€¦"

"I, uh, would've been able to locate it with my senses, but yeah, no light perception. Also, I'm not exactly in peak condition at the moment."

Avery nodded. "I get it... If you want, I can lead you?"

He nodded. "That would be most appreciated." He grabbed the clothes off the couch before taking Avery's elbow. She lead him over to the bathroom, making sure to avoid the mess on the floor.

While he was in there, she went to her room and got changed herself. When she emerged, she found Matt standing just outside the bathroom door. She walked over. "Do you want a bag for your costume?"

"Yes, please."

She got him one and helped him put the Daredevil suit inside, minus the boots, which he was still wearing. "You know, I think there's an extra pair of sunglasses you could borrow...I'll get them." She went in her room and grabbed them off her dresser, returning to Matt. "Here...They're aviators. I hope you don't mind."

Matt smiled, putting the glasses on. "They'll do just fine."

"So...I'd offer to drive you back, but I don't have a car. Would you like me to call a cab?"

Matt nodded. "That'd be great."

After Avery ordered the cab, she turned back to Matt. "Don't take offense, but I'm not so sure about you being out on the streets, even if you do have incredibly enhanced senses."

"Well, I'm not exactly comfortable with someone as young as you fighting criminals either."

"Ah... Then what do you say we both don't comment on each other's career choices?"

Matt nodded. "I think I can manage that." There was a honking from outside. "The taxi," said Matt, no trace of surprise in his voice.

Avery nodded. "I'll walk you out."

After walking him down to the curb, she turned. "I hope you aren't thinking of going back out for a while. At least not until your shoulder can handle it."

Matt's lips twitched. "Don't worry. If my friend finds out I'm fighting injured, he'll carry out my death sentence." Avery chuckled. Matt opened the taxi door. "Thank you...for everything. I suppose I'll see you later."

Avery narrowed her eyes. "Was that unintentional, or did you just make a blind joke?"

Matt grinned. "You'd be surprised at how many I can slip into a conversation."

Avery laughed. "You really _are_ a devil. Yeah, I'll _see_ you later." Matt smiled once more before getting into the cab. As Avery watched it drive away, she shook her head. "This has been one hell of a week."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So everything turned out alright. I hope I got Matt's character ok. Daredevil really wasn't supposed to have this big of a role in the story originally but what can I say? Sometimes things write themselves.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	14. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

It was a little over a week before Matt went out as Daredevil again. Not that he was taking orders from a twenty-year-old or anything. Matt just felt that waiting would be worth not hearing the double lecture from both her and Foggy.

He exited his apartment through the window and climbed to the roof of it building. But as it turned out, someone was already there. "Hello!" came Avery's cheerful voice. Matt blinked. She was wearing her voice changer, but having heard her real voice, he could now detect it through the chip's mechanical sound. "Is this where you live? Nice roof."

Matt sighed. "How did you find out where I lived?"

"I did some digging... So you finally getting back in the game?"

Matt sighed again. _She really is exasperating._ "As I recall, _you_ were the one to tell me to stay away."

She nodded. "And I was right, too. Imagine what would've happened if you'd tried to fight bad guys like that. Anyway, what do you do when you're not beating up criminals?"

"As I said before, I'm a lawyer, so most of my time is spent either working on a case or trying to find one."

"Huh. Interesting."

"Why are you here? I wasn't aware we were planning to team up."

"We aren't. I just came by to see how you were doing. Now I'll be on my way...business in West Side."

Even with the chip, Matt could pick out an undertone of darkness in her voice. Whatever her _business_ was, it wasn't good. "What kind of business, if you don't mind me asking?"

" _Personal_ business." This time the warning tone was all too evident.

Matt held up his hands in a placating gesture. "You don't have to tell me." Avery said nothing. Matt waited. After a minute or two, she crossed to the edge of the roof and sat down. Not sure he was welcome, Matt remained standing. Then Avery began to speak.

"Have you ever heard of JEV Labs?"

"Can't say I have."

Her voice was tight and strained. "They operate out of West Side Manhattan. They're a 'genetics research' facility."

"And would this 'business' of yours be with them?"

"Yes. They...conducted dangerous experiments a number of years ago. I meant to go after them before, but... _life_ got in the way." Matt's eyebrows furrowed. Something in Avery's tone was putting him on edge. "Their head scientist goes by JV. He's been living near the labs for a while now. But his second in command was who I was waiting for. Viktor Klein. For the past few years he's been abroad...perhaps researching for more _experiments_. He returned to New York yesterday." Matt remained silent. He got the impression that Avery had a personal connection to the labs. "Now that he and JV are _both_ in town at the same time, I have the perfect opportunity..."

Matt frowned. Clearly, she had some kind of personal vendetta against these people. "The opportunity to do what, exactly?"

This time when she spoke, her words carried a fierce glee that nearly made Matt shiver. "To get payback."

_This is not good_ , thought Matt. He moved to sit down next to her. "Avery." He sensed her turn her head to look at him. "What exactly are you planning?"

For a brief second, it seemed like she was about to tell him, but then she shook her head. "Sorry, Matt... I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because you might try to stop me."

Now Matt's concern was pushed into overdrive. _What would she do that's so bad that she thinks I'd try to stop her?_ It was during times like this that Matt wished he still had his sight. Sure, his senses got him by, but the ability to know a person's thoughts just from their face would prove very helpful in this instance. "What reason would I have for trying to stop you?" he asked carefully. Avery didn't respond. Suddenly, a cold, heavy sensation took up residence in Matt's chest. He remembered something he had considered doing, something he had almost done when Fisk was still in control of his city. _Surely she can't be thinking the same?_ But his instincts told him otherwise, and Matt trusted them. "You know," he said carefully, "Some time ago, after I began to head down a...darker path, a friend gave me some advice... He said that people have often used the atrocities of their enemies to justify their own and that another person's evil doesn't make _you_ good." He could tell Avery was listening, but somehow he got the feeling that she wasn't really hearing him.

Then she asked, "What was it that you wanted to do?"

Matt sighed. "I wanted to kill...someone. I knew that killing him would damn my soul to Hell, but I truly couldn't see another way."

Avery chuckled dryly. "Ha. 'Couldn't see.' Good one."

"The point is...when I talked to my friend about it, he asked me something. He asked if I was struggling with the fact that I didn't _want_ to kill the man, but _had_ to, or that I didn't _have_ to kill him, but _wanted_ to."

Avery was silent as she took this in. Then, in a rather quiet tone, she asked, "What if there is no 'or'? What if I have to kill him _and_ want to?"

"You may want to," said Matt, "But that in no way means that you have to. We're standing on a very slippery slope, and it only takes _one_ wrong move to fall off. Remember, you shouldn't think in terms of black and white. There are other ways to bring someone down _without_ killing them." Matt waited as Avery processed his words.

Finally, she said, "No offense Matt, but I don't think you understand... I don't just want to bring them down... I want to _send_ them to Hell myself." With that, she stood up. "Goodbye, Matt."

Matt scrambled to his feet, but he was too late. She was already gone.

* * *

Matt let out another sigh and moved forward to lean on his desk. Across the room, Foggy rolled his eyes. "Okay, man, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

Foggy visibly fought the urge to give a sigh of his own. "You know that's the biggest lie known to the universe, right?" Matt said nothing. "Seriously, Matt, what's wrong? Is it your arm?"

Matt groaned. "I regret ever telling you about that."

"Are you _kidding_? If you hadn't told me, Claire would've. Unlike some people, _she_ doesn't keep secrets from me. Especially _important_ secrets."

Matt groaned again. "When are you gonna stop bringing that up?"

"I dunno. Probably never."

Matt then realized he had the perfect opportunity to get a second opinion on Avery's plan. "...Claire wasn't the one who fixed me up."

" _What_? Then where'd you get the clothes and stuff?"

Could he really reveal her identity to Foggy? "It's a long story."

"No," said Foggy, crossing over to sit in a chair next to Matt's desk, "Nu-uh. You're gonna tell me. Now spill."

Matt sighed. If anyone could keep the secret, it would be Foggy. "You know that new vigilante?"

"The one running around midtown? Sure. He's been all over the news recently...Wait. You didn't?!" Matt nodded. "You _did_?! You seriously _met_ the Midtown Menace? Terrible name, by the way. The media have no imagination."

"Yeah I met...him. Actually, we first met a while ago. We worked together for a bit."

"No way! You guys teamed up?! That's awesome! But I thought he only covered that section of midtown?"

Matt shook his head. "No. Well, at first, yes. But he...expanded out into Hell's Kitchen. Anyway, about a week or so ago we were trying to take down a drug cartel. We got them, but not before I took a bullet to the shoulder."

"So that wound was the one from the team up?"

"Yeah. I passed out from the blood loss so he...took me back to his place, fixed up my arm, and gave me some clothes and a taxi home."

Foggy whistled. "Wow... So are you guys, like, crime-fighting buddies now? Like Batman and Robin?"

"Not really. We just help each other out... S- _he_ actually told me his identity."

Foggy's eyes went wide. "Oh my god! Their secret identity? Who are they?"

Matt sighed. "Foggy, if I tell you this..."

"Yeah, yeah. I won't tell anyone. I'm keeping your secret too, buddy."

"Okay, I'll tell you, but...you won't believe me."

"C'monnn! Who is it?"

"Avery Valiant."

Foggy burst out laughing. "Avery Valiant?! No way! Like as in _Tony Stark's_ personal assistant?!"

"Yes."

" _Holy shit_! Dude, the Midtown Menace is a _chick_!"

"Yes."

"Not to mention she's only, like, twenty years old! ...Is that why you're bummed out? You don't want her fighting crime, do you? Typical Murdock move."

"No, that isn't- well, yes, I think she's too young, but that's not why."

"Then _what_ is it?"

Matt sighed yet again. "I think she's planning to kill someone."

All of the excitement drained out of Foggy. " _What_? Did you say kill as in _kill_?"

"Yes."

" _Ending_ someone's life?"

"Yes."

"The final end, like, pit or cloud end?"

" _Yes_ Foggy."

"...Holy _shit_. You won't let her, though, right?"

"I don't know. I don't think there's much I could do to stop her."

"Yes there is! Go to the police!"

"Foggy!"

"What? I say if someone's planning to commit murder... _that's_ a situation in which a rational human being would call the police!"

"I'd be exposing her secret, Foggy."

"So? A secret against a _life_? No contest."

"Foggy, you don't get it. I told her my identity too."

"What?! Matt, you _idiot_! Why would you do that?!"

"I felt it was only fair. She did save my life, after all."

Foggy sighed heavily. "Great. Now we can't even go to the police. If we snitch on her, she'll rat you out too!"

Matt frowned. "She doesn't seem like the type to do that."

Foggy rolled his eyes. "We're not about to risk your secret on the chances of her not telling! You'll just have to see if you can track her down before she goes through with it... Did she give you any hint of the location?"

"West Side."

Foggy sighed in exasperation. "Great. That narrows it down to _one section_ of Manhattan! ...You know what? Get your coat!"

"What?"

"Get your coat! I'm gonna hail a cab and then _we're_ gonna go track down your vigilante friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally starting to heat up! I really don't know what I'd do in Avery or Matt's position but you'll see the outcome soon enough.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	15. Part of the Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Tony groaned and opened his eyes. "Jarvis, what time is it?" he asked, standing up and stretching. It was nice to be back in the tower, even if he'd messed up his sleep more than usual.

"It is currently 7:30 Ante Meridiem."

"Ugh. I'm never up this early."

"Yes, and you usually keep to such a healthy sleep schedule, sir," said Jarvis dryly.

"Hey, no sass before 9:00... Is there coffee?"

"I'm afraid your coffee machine is still broken, sir. However, I believe Mr. Rogers has made some on the common floor."

Tony groaned and made his way into the elevator. Within the span of a few seconds, he was stumbling out into the Avengers' main area. Steve, Natasha, and Bruce were also there. All three looked up quizzically when Tony entered. Tony made a beeline for the coffee maker. "DUM-E broke my machine." Tony poured himself a cup and took a sip. "So, what's new?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Since we got back from Bangladesh? Nothing."

"Ah, yeah, I gotta tell Avery we're back."

"You haven't told her yet?" Bruce sounded surprised.

"Nope. Haven't gotten the chance. Fell asleep as soon as we got back. I'll text her today… Where's Birdbrain?"

"Clint had to report to Fury."

"Oh yeah. How's the pirate doing, anyway?"

"Annoyed that you missed the briefing."

"Hey, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure 'stop the evil cyborgs' isn't complicated enough to warrant attending a meeting."

Natasha rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Bruce had turned on the TV and was absentmindedly flicking through the channels.

Tony flopped down on the couch next to him. "Anything interesting?"

Bruce shrugged. "I haven't really been paying attention." Suddenly, he stopped flicking. "Tony…"

"What?"

Bruce pointed to the screen, where big white letters read: Another JEV Labs Employee Found Dead. "What? What do they mean by 'another'?"

"Hang on a sec," said Steve. He hurriedly flipped through his newspaper like the old man he was. "Found it. It's in today's paper." His eyebrows furrowed as he read, and a serious expression overtook his features. "'Five dead in as many days'."

"What?" said Natasha, Bruce, and Tony at the same time.

"Apparently someone's targeting employees of JEV Laboratories. It's local. Upper West Side Manhattan." Steve turned green. "It says that all the victims looked as though they were stabbed with a superheated knife." Everyone else in the room felt mildly sick.

"Is there any pattern?" Bruce asked after a pause.

"It says...the victims so far have all been 40 years old or older."

"That's it?" asked Tony incredulously.

Expressionlessly, Natasha strode forward and snatched the paper. After scanning it for a minute or so, she declared, "There's something else… The killer seems to be moving up."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"Each victim has been slightly higher up than the last when it comes to rank."

"They're moving up the chain of command," said Tony.

"But that's not all… People in the neighborhood are saying the so-called 'Midtown Menace' is to blame for the killings."

"What?!" This time, it was Steve and Bruce.

"Knew it!" said Tony. T

he other two looked at him incredulously. "What do you mean you knew it?" demanded Steve.

Tony rolled his eyes. "We talked about the vigilante before, Cap. Remember what I said?"

"You said they weren't dangerous!"

"I said they weren't dangerous yet. I also said they had an agenda, and here it is."

Steve shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"What's so hard to believe, Rogers?!"

"I told you the guy was a whackjob, and here's the proof!"

"But why would someone against crime commit murder?"

"I'll tell you why… The only reason they went out on the streets in the first place was to get people on their side."

Steve shook his head again. "That's ridiculous, Tony."

"Ridiculous or not, there are several eyewitnesses who say they've seen the 'Menace' leaving the scene of a murder," said Natasha, "I think it's time to move past this and figure out a plan of attack."

"What do you mean by that?" Bruce asked.

"As much as I hate to, I agree with Stark. And this isn't just some regular psycho out there...this is someone with powers, and that makes it our department. Are you going to help us?" Steve hesitated, unsure how to respond to that.

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened and Clint walked out. Tony glared at the ceiling. "Some advance notice would have been nice."

"Apologies, sir, but you were engaged in an important discussion. I thought it best not to disturb you."

"'Important discussion'?" said Clint, "What exactly did I miss?" In answer, Natasha shoved the newspaper into his hands. After a few minutes, Clint looked up. "You were discussing the murders?"

"Yes. Stark and I both believe the vigilante needs to be brought in. The Captain, however, does not agree."

Clint looked bemused. "Fury gave us a new assignment."

Tony rolled his eyes and immediately began a rant. "What does Director Eyepatch want now? Because at the moment, we already have something to deal with, so Fury can take his assignment and-"

"It's about the Midtown Menace."

That stopped Tony in his tracks. "What?"

"The assignment," said Clint, "We're supposed to bring the vigilante in to SHIELD."

Steve sighed, knowing he could argue no longer. If Fury wanted the vigilante brought in, the Avengers would bring in the vigilante. "Okay," he said, "I'm in."

"Excellent," said Tony, "Bruce?"

"I'm not sure why you'd need the Other Guy, but I'm willing to help track this...person down."

"Alright," said Steve, "So we're all in agreement. First things first...We need a plan."

* * *

Clint cursed. It had been two days since they agreed to bring in the 'Midtown Menace' and things were not going well. To start off, another dead body turned up. Same MO, over 40, higher rank than the last person, and same wounds as the others.

Steve's voice spoke over their comms. _"Hawkeye, have you got eyes on him?"_

Clint cursed again. "That's a negative, Cap. Haven't seen anyone near the building."

Steve's sigh echoed in their ears. The Avengers were currently on patrol in West Side. The pattern of the killings had lead them to discover the vigilante's next mark and they were currently staking out the JEV Lab's main building, looking for either the vigilante or his next victim. Then Clint spotted something. "Hold on… looks like we got some commotion on the third floor."

_"Roger that, Legolas,"_ came Tony's voice, _"Cap, Widow and I are moving in."_

Steve sighed again. _"Just try not to blow anything up, Stark."_

_"Excuse me! I'll have you know that I haven't blown anything up in...how long has it been, Bruce?"_

It was Bruce's turn to sigh. He wasn't in the field with them, but he was closely monitoring in case the Other Guy was needed. _"Three days, Tony."_

_"Hey! That doesn't count! That was a mission!"_

"So is this, Tinhead," said Clint.

_"If you all don't shut up, I will personally see to it that you are locked in the Helicarrier's Hulk-Cage and dropped into the Atlantic,"_ said Natasha pleasantly.

"Shutting up."

The only noise after that came from Tony and Natasha's infiltration of the Labs. _"On the third floor now, Cap. Don't see anything yet."_

_"Just keep your eyes open."_

_"You know,"_ said Tony after a moment of silence, _"These labs aren't half bad. Looks like these guys have all the toys."_

"What kind of toys?" Clint asked, "What do they even research here?"

_"Genetics,"_ said Bruce.

Just then, Tony's loud swearing took over the comms. _"Mission over, guys. The guy got his mark."_

"Shit. I'll be right over."

_"Who is it?"_ Steve asked.

_"One of the higher-ups,"_ answered Natasha, _"We were right, the guy was targeting Viktor Klein."_

"Crap. Do we have any idea who the next mark is?"

Bruce's voice was grim when he answered. _"Dr. Klein was ranked pretty high. The only person above him is the boss, Dr. JV Tyler."_

_"Yup. The big kahuna,"_ said Tony.

_"Alright, team,"_ said Steve, _"Let's head back to the tower and regroup. We have a new plan to put together."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this. This part of the story was really fun to write. More excitement coming up in the next few chapters!
> 
> Laterz!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	16. Final Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Avery slipped through the window, glancing over her shoulder as she did. The Avengers had been tracking her for the past four days. They didn't know it, but they had only just missed her after she took out Klein. Luckily, she'd gotten out of the building before they got in.

She smiled. Klein had been the last of her tormentors, excluding her father. Killing him had brought a sense of relief, of escape. _But not as much as killing my father will_ , she thought.

This was the moment her whole life had been leading up to. And this time, she was especially confident. While Klein had been in a public building with other people, her father was currently at home. The Avengers had no hope of knowing where. She was lucky her father had created his labs under a pseudonym. Otherwise, the Avengers could easily connect him to her. That wouldn't be good. She was just glad she didn't have to go in for work. After returning from the mission, Tony had called her, telling her not to come in for a few days. When she'd asked why, he'd replied that the Avengers were on a highly important mission and that he 'didn't want her caught up in it.' He didn't know how caught up in it she already was, and had been long before the Avengers were involved. When she learned the Avengers were after her, Avery had experienced a moment of doubt, Matt's words echoing in her brain. _Are you struggling with the fact that you don't want to kill him, but have to? Or that you don't have to kill him, but want to?_

The problem was, revenge on her father had been Avery's goal ever since her experimentation. She had centered on it so much that she didn't think she could ever move on unless she saw it through. Her father would always be there, holding her back, lingering in the corner of her mind. Every time she used her powers she was reminded of how they came to be. And now she couldn't even rely on _them_. She had been noticing for awhile now that her control over her abilities was slipping. Now she had to be careful because objects would levitate whenever she entered a room. Especially if she was emotionally turbulent. But even her faulty powers couldn't stop her. Reaching back, she touched the lightsaber at her side with satisfaction. She smiled. Her lightsaber. The first working lightsaber ever created. It was fitting that the scientists had died by its blade. Finally, they had gotten a small taste of the burning she had felt, all those years ago.

Swiftly, she returned to the task at hand. She looked around. Nothing much in the house had changed since she'd left. The furniture was still drab and gray. She suspected that if she went up to her old room, it would still be the same as well. But she wasn't here for a trip down memory lane. She turned and made her way to the back of the house. There it was. The dark metal door that led below the house into her father's laboratory. If the past was anything to go by, that's where her father would be. Reluctance took hold of her as she reached for the doorknob, but she brushed it off. Pulling open the door, she descended the steps.

The laboratory was huge, twice the size of the house above. Bitterly, she remembered that while her mother had trouble paying the bills, her father had built a high-tech lab for himself. Avery made her way into the main room. She tried not to look around, not wanting to see the dreaded place that had brought her so much pain. She wondered where her father was. The lab seemed to be bare of all life. Then she heard footsteps. Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and waited for the inevitable.

Her father walked in. He looked much the same as he did when she was a kid, although his black hair was now sprinkled with gray, and age lines showed around his cold colorless eyes. But he smelled the same, the overpowering stench of alcohol and cigarettes. When he looked at her, she fought the urge to hunch up and make herself as small as possible. She noted with some irony that he was wearing a white lab coat over his usual jeans and plaid.

His eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?" he demanded.

_Time to confront him_ , she thought, _It's been too long._ Steeling herself, she reached up and removed her mask, hood, and voice chip.

Her father's eyes widened for a split second before he swiftly concealed his surprise. He scoffed. "Well, if it isn't my wayward daughter."

She glared at him. "I'm not your daughter, _James_. You lost the right to call me that a long time ago."

He laughed harshly. "You might wish you weren't, but that doesn't change the fact that I was the one who raised you."

"You didn't raise shit! _Mom_ was the one that did all the work. All _you_ ever did was take advantage."

"Well, it's probably better I didn't raise you. You would've just been more of a disappointment then you were."

" _Me_?! A disappointment?!"

Her father barked out a laugh and began to pace. "I put all my time and energy into that research! The super-soldier serum! ...I was going to be the first scientist to crack the formula! Imagine the awards! The recognition! The money I'd get! And then I pick you to test it on and what happens?! It doesn't work! All my research! Wasted on you!" He advanced on her and she drew her lightsaber, pointing it at him. He stopped in his tracks. "So it was you... Everyone in on the research for that project - they've all been killed… I have to say… I didn't think you'd have it in you." He laughed again. "And you think _I'm_ a monster... I guess it's fitting that monsters breed more monsters."

Avery's face scrunched in hatred. "I would tell you that I'd never be like you, but I think we've talked long enough." She stretched out a hand and sent him flying back into the wall. She moved in a few paces, taking in his speechlessness. She raised her lightsaber. "I guess it's _fitting_ that monsters are eventually killed by other monsters...Goodbye, _Father_."

She struck, plunging the lightsaber into his abdomen. He screamed once, a long, drawn out, agony-filled yell that soon faded into silence. Avery retracted her blade and watched her father's body slump to the ground. Reaching back, she pulled up her hood and replaced her mask and voice changer.

She'd expected to feel relieved at her father's death. Instead, she felt nothing. Replacing her lightsaber, she turned, ready to leave. _Crash!_ She froze, listening intently. Someone was upstairs.

Avery could hear muffled voices moving through the house. As they got closer, she could make out the words.

"And you're sure this is the right house?"

"Please! Feathers, I could track a person down in my sleep!"

Avery's heart leapt to her throat. _Clint and Tony._ The Avengers had arrived. She could only listen in silence as they descended the stairs. The lab had only one exit. Finally, she heard their footsteps move through the adjacent room. She could make out Tony's metallic footsteps descending with loud clanks. She could also hear Steve. She couldn't hear Clint, most likely due to his training. It was also likely that Natasha was with them. However she didn't think they'd bring Bruce, and she would've heard Thor coming a mile away.

She barely had enough time to be thankful for that before the Avengers walked through the door.

They stopped when they saw her. Clint nocked an arrow and Natasha crouched in a ready position, but neither Steve nor Tony moved. Then Steve spoke. "So you're the Midtown Menace." He sounded disapproving and a little wary.

Avery forced her tone to be light and joking. "Yep! C'est moi!" That earned her several glares. "So, uh, why're you guys here, then?"

Steve's jaw tightened. "We're here to bring you in," said Clint. He drew back his bow, aiming it at her. "It's up to you whether you come quietly or not."

"I'm good, thanks."

"C'mon, Cap, let's just take this guy down," Tony complained, "He's not gonna surrender."

"Whoa, whoa. What are you 'bringing me in' for?"

"You killed people," said Steve, "Good people."

Avery snorted. "Believe me, Stripes, they were far from good people. But I have the feeling you're not gonna see my side, so which of you's gonna read me my Miranda rights?"

"That's not how this is gonna work," said Clint, "What's gonna happen is I'm gonna count to three and if you don't give yourself up by then, I'm gonna put this arrow right between your eyes."

"Okay...shoot."

Natasha narrowed her eyes. _She's trying to tell if I'm bluffing._ Clint began to count in a warning tone, "One… Two… Three." He let the arrow fly.

Avery's brain switched to hyperspeed and she watched as the arrow approached in seemingly slow motion. _I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. Is this where it gets me? On my feet, several feet ahead of me._ Then, her instincts kicked in. She shot out a hand, stopping the arrow in midair. The Avengers stood in shock for a second. Then the spell broke, and they attacked.

At first, Avery was fighting just to stay on her feet. But as she put more focus into using her powers, she discovered that she could predict the team's moves before they made them. From there on, the fight was slightly more balanced.

However, Avery could feel her control slipping. Her acute awareness was gradually becoming fuzzy. She thrust out a hand, sending Natasha into a wall, causing her to lose consciousness. Avery felt a prick of remorse. She hated doing this. She hated fighting her friends. But she had no choice. The most she could do was avoid using lethal force. Suddenly, Clint landed a hefty blow to her side. Avery gasped as she felt a rib crack. She summoned a metal container with her powers and sent it crashing into Clint. He was soon out cold next to Natasha.

That left her alone with Steve and Tony. They attacked in seemingly random patterns, making it harder to predict their actions. What's more, her control was coming in bursts. At one point she tried to fling Steve's shield but it didn't budge and he managed to drive it hard into her left shoulder. She clenched her teeth as it was dislocated with a sickening pop. She flung out her hand again, this time sending Steve's shield hurtling through the air with such force that it collided with it's owner, winding him. Avery turned back to Tony in time to see one of his repulsors light up. _Zing!_ The beam hit her in her abdomen. She heard the sizzle of her flesh before the pain hit her in one giant wave. She felt like a molten spear had impaled her as she collapsed to her knees and a soul-wrenching shriek poured out of her mouth. _Thwum!_ A radius of energy pulsed out, with her at its epicenter. Everything in the way was blasted back with the force of an exploding bomb, including Steve and Tony. Then, the blast force inverted and began pulling.

Steve's eyes widened as he saw the walls and ceiling beginning to crack. Dust rained down and the room's very foundations shook. But just as he was sure the building would come down on top of them, everything stopped.

Blearily, Steve saw the figure in the center of the room get shakily to its feet and stagger out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That fight scene was pretty fun to write. So was Avery's confrontation with her father. I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. I never thought this story would gain as much interest as it has and I have all you wonderful people to thank for that.
> 
> Peace.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	17. Colleagues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Avery clutched her side as, legs wobbling, she reeled out of the house and down the street into an alleyway where she leaned heavily against the wall. _How am I supposed to continue like this?_

She desperately needed to tend to her injuries and get out of her costume. So far she had a dislocated shoulder, a cracked rib, and what was most likely a third-degree burn. But she couldn't stay here. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off the wall and exited the alley. She knew she had to get as far as possible from West Side. She gritted her teeth as she moved her hand away from her abdomen and tried to look as normal as possible. If she cut through Central Park and got onto 5th Avenue, it was pretty much a straight shot to her apartment building.

She walked a bit faster, biting back a groan as her side and shoulder complained. She'd've liked to get back to her apartment before the Avengers regrouped and started up the hunt again, but she knew it was a long shot. At this point, she just hoped she could get through the park and into Upper East Side before the Avengers started looking.

20 minutes later, Avery made it out of the park, out of breath. Each time she breathed in, it would pull on her rib. She couldn't continue on like this. She looked around before staggering into another alley and letting herself slide down the wall until her legs were sprawled out in front of her. She took another labored breath. How did things go to hell so quickly? There was no way she'd make it back to her apartment. The Avengers had probably already resumed their search. Avery leaned her head back against the wall and gave into unconsciousness.

The next thing she knew, Avery was being woken up by a concerned voice. "Hey, you okay? ...Sir? ...Madam?"

Avery dragged her eyes open and was met with a red and blue blur. She blinked. Slowly, her eyes focused until she saw the webbed mask and white eye lenses of Spider-Man. He was sort of crouching in front of her, hands halfway outstretched like he was trying to offer assistance of some kind. "...What?"

The wall-crawler let out a breath. "Phew. You're awake. For a second I almost thought you were dead."

"...Why?"

She got the feeling he'd just shot her a look, but with the mask on, it was hard to tell. "Well, for starters, you look like hell. Did you get in a fight with a demon bear or something?"

Avery laughed humorlessly. "Feels like it."

"I'd say… So what was it?"

Avery sighed, wincing when her side protested. "The Avengers."

Spider-Man leaned back. "No way! You got in a fight with the Avengers?!" Avery nodded. "Why?"

"Well, they were ordered to bring me in... They also don't really like me."

"Wait… Holy crap! You're the new vigilante!"

"Got it in one."

Spider-Man was silent for a moment and when he spoke again, he sounded reproachful. "You know, the Avengers probably wouldn't have tried to bring you in if you hadn't started _killing_ people… In fact, I'm not sure whether to classify you as a criminal now."

Avery sighed again. "I know."

"No, I don't think you do." The wall-crawler stood up, pacing along the alley. "The whole reason I do this is because I wanna protect people, make the streets safer. Us vigilantes have a hard enough time between the media and the cops, but now it's gonna get, like, ten times worse because of you. The minute you cross that line, the public will start wondering if others won't do the same."

Aver hadn't considered that side of it before. She felt bad about setting the reputation for vigilantes back so far, but she was also tired of hearing the same thing. "Listen," she said, "I'm sorry if my actions cause people to doubt you, but I also know I did the right thing, for me and for others...for reasons I don't have time to explain right now. I know you'll probably lecture me on the immorality of taking someone's life, but I already got that lecture from Daredevil and I don't need a repeat."

"...You met Daredevil?"

"Yeah. I ran into him on a roof in Hell's Kitchen… Don't tell me you haven't met him?"

Spider-Man shook his head. "I've run into him a couple times, but not until I'd been out here for a while."

"Ever team up?"

"Nah... I think I annoyed him." Avery nodded. "Back to the point though… Maybe Daredevil did already tell you all this, but that doesn't mean what you did wasn't wrong... I guess you're not religious, so you don't put stock in the 'killing damns your soul' thing."

Avery shook her head. "I'm not. But even if I was, my soul would've been damned to Hell years ago." Bracing herself with her good arm, Avery pushed herself up to a standing position.

"What're you doing?!" Spider-Man demanded.

"Getting out of your hair. I can't stay in one place too long and the Avengers are still looking for me, so…"

"What? No, you need to get to a hospital."

Avery shook her head. "And let them unmask me? No way. Now, if you could just pop my shoulder back in for me, I'll be on my way."

Spider-Man shook his head. "I can't let you do that. Even if you _didn't_ kill people...you're injured."

"Look, I'm not gonna negotiate with you, so either help me with my shoulder or leave."

Spider-Man sighed, but moved to help her. Gripping her shoulder, he said, "On three...one-" With a sharp jerk, he relocated her shoulder.

"Agh! _Jeez_!" Avery gasped, rolling her shoulder. It would probably be sore and stiff for a few days, but she'd be fine. "Okay... Thanks for that, I'm leaving now."

"Wait! Are you sure you won't let me help you?"

Avery chuckled. "You've already done plenty… Now, I suggest you make yourself scarce and don't tell anyone you saw me."

Spider-Man sighed but nodded. "Okay, then. I guess I'll see you around...maybe."

Avery nodded before walking out of the alley. She Spider-Man turn and begin to climb the alley wall. Moved by a sudden impulse, she called out to him. "Hey, not sure if I'll see you again, but…I owe you one." Spider-Man nodded and saluted before climbing to the roof. Avery saw him take a running start before launching himself off the building and swing off into the distance. Then she turned and slowly made her way down the street.

* * *

Tony kicked a table in frustration, then grabbed his injured foot. " _Not_ worth it!" he hissed, lowering the foot as the pain subsided. He sighed. It had been two days since the Avengers had gotten their asses kicked by the so called 'Midtown Menace', and they still weren't any closer to finding the guy. Tony didn't even know how he'd avoided them for this long. Ever since the battle, the Avengers and SHIELD had been collectively scouring the city for the vigilante, but it was like he'd dropped off the face of the Earth. Fury was getting annoyed, which made Tony angry. He was the only one who was supposed to annoy the Director.

He whirled back around to face the hologram. He'd been assigned the task of finding out how the vigilante had killed those scientists. He expanded the picture and studied the wound once more. It was clearly a stab wound, but Tony was pretty sure nothing he'd encountered had left marks like it. Whatever it was had also been extremely hot, as the area around the entrance point was burned and the wound cauterized. Tony frowned thoughtfully. _I'm not gonna come up with the answer by staring at this all day. Maybe it's time to think outside the box…_

He paced as he ran through every weapon he knew. "Let's see... We can rule out grenades, missiles, etc. Not a gun, most likely some sort of blade. Hot enough to burn flesh. A superheated blade... _Superheated blade!_ " He stopped in his tracks. "No freakin' way… Those don't exist!" After a moment of contemplation, he came to a decision. "Jarvis, get me everything you can on...lightsabers." Instantly, a hologram appeared in front of him. After studying it for a minute or two, Tony spoke again. "Jarvis, what's the possibility of a _working_ lightsaber being created?"

"Although it would take considerable intelligence and engineering prowess, not to mention sufficient resources, I believe it can be done, sir."

Tony let out a sigh. "When did my life become this insane?"

"According to my data, it was after Afghanistan, sir."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever… Where's the team?"

"The Avengers are currently located in the briefing room with Director Fury, sir."

"What? Fury's here? Why didn't I know?"

"Your order for me to ignore the Director is still in place, sir."

"Oh yeah... Forgot about that." Tony made for the elevator. "Just so you know, J...if he decides to punish me for being late, I'm blaming you."

"Of course, sir."

Tony bounced into the briefing room. "Bonjour, Nicky! How was your voyage of the high seas?" This was met with five exasperated glares and one hostile one. Tony fake shivered as he made his way to an empty chair next to Bruce. "Yikes, tough crowd." He sat down, propping his feet up on the table.

Steve sighed before reaching over and pushing them off. "If you're finished, Stark?"

Tony gave a mock royal wave. "Proceed."

Fury rolled his eye. "Now that Stark has finally decided to show up, maybe he'll be so kind as to share what he's discovered."

Tony gave a heavy sigh. "Fiiiine, Nicky. But just 'cause it's you who's asking." He got out his phone and tapped across the screen a few times. As he set it down on the table, a hologram was projected from somewhere on its surface. There was a long moment of silence as the team studied it. The disbelief in the room was tangible.

Finally, Clint spoke up. "Is this a joke?"

Tony faked offense. "A joke? _How_ could you think I'd make a _joke_ at a time like this? ...Anyway, no, _Barton_ , it's not a joke. This is what the Midtown Menace used to kill the JEV Labs scientists and CEO." There was another long pause as the they stared at him incredulously. Tony rolled his eyes. "I know you think I'm crazy, but according to Jarvis, it's not actually impossible for someone to build one."

Steve sighed deeply. "Very well. Say we believe you, Tony. But even if the weapon in question is an actual lightsaber...what would the Menace need to build one?"

"Well, first off, very advanced engineering know-how. Like, we're talking me-level."

"Okay," said Natasha matter-of-factly, "How many people are at that level?"

Tony shrugged. "How should I know? Sadly, I'm not the only genius in the world, just the most awesome one."

Bruce cleared his throat. "I think what Tony's trying to say is that narrowing it down will take too long. Instead of finding the person, we should find the weapon."

"Is it traceable?" Steve asked.

Bruce shrugged. "It's one-of-a-kind. Something like that would probably give off a very distinct energy signature. If Tony built a scanner searching for that specific frequency…"

All eyes turned to the genius, who shrugged. "It's possible," he said, "But we'd have to practically build a lightsaber of our own to get the exact frequency needed."

Bruce shook his head. "Not necessarily… We just need to find what frequency is needed for the lightsaber to do what the Menace has done with it. If we run enough tests-"

"We'll eventually hit the right frequency!"

"Sorry to interrupt your brainstorming session," said Fury, not sounding sorry at all, "But exactly how long will this take? For an organization focused on national security, SHIELD has spent too much time and too many resources on trying to find this son of a bitch."

Tony sighed. "Two...maybe three days?"

Fury nodded. "Very well… I'll give you one week to find this vigilante. If you do not succeed, then SHIELD will resort to more...drastic measures." With that, he swept out of the room.

Tony whistled. "I think I might have a rival in dramatic exits… What say we get down to the lab, Banner?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I haven't forgotten this story! I've just been really trying to make some headway in my Destiny series and other stuff got pushed aside.
> 
> I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out, so just keep one eye open. Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	18. Midtown Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Steve sighed as he exited the elevator. This would mark the third day since the meeting with Fury. Hopefully, Tony and Bruce had figured it out by now. The last thing anyone needed was for SHIELD to lock down the city, assuming the vigilante hadn't already left. As he passed tables of half-finished mechanisms, Steve spotted the figures of Bruce and Tony standing close together at one of the tables. He strode up to them. "Any luck?"

Tony glanced up. " _Someone's_ eager. Hold your horses, Stripes. We'll know as soon as we finish calibrating." He turned back.

Steve sighed but resigned himself to the wait. Finally, after six minutes had passed, Tony called him over. "Okay, Cap. Do or die moment…"

He switched on the device and turned his attention to a small screen displaying measurements of some kind. There was a second's pause. "Yesss!" Tony turned to Bruce, holding up his hand for a high-five. The scientist hesitantly obliged. Tony turned back to Steve. "If we've gotten the math right - which we have - this is the frequency the Menace's lightsaber operates on."

The relief made Steve's shoulders sag. He'd been sure of more bad news. "Excellent. Tell Jarvis to assemble the team in the main quarters in uniform."

Tony nodded at him. "Will do, Popsicle."

A few minutes later, the Avengers were gathered on the common floor. "Alright," said Steve, "I know the Menace took us down last time, but this time we have Thor with us."

Thor raised Mjolnir. "Indeed, good Captain. I apologize for not being at my shield-siblings' sides at their time of need."

Steve waved him off. "Don't worry about it. The point is...this time failure is _not_ an option." He turned to Tony, who was clad in the armor, sans helmet. "Is the tracker working?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "No, Rogers, I just _broke_ it… What kind of genius do you think I am?"

Steve sighed. "Tony…"

"Yeah, yeah. Tracking." He put on the helmet. "Jarvis, you got a read?" There was a moment's silence as the AI presumably responded. Tony gave a slight nod. "Right. Jarvis says he's located our friend at East 34th Street and Park Avenue."

Steve nodded before turning to the rest of the team. "You heard him, guys. We've got a vigilante to catch."

* * *

Avery looked out the window again. Still nothing. Like every other time she'd looked. But she couldn't help it, jumpy as she was. Her leg bounced rapidly as she briefly removed her mask to rub at her eyes. She hadn't had a decent meal or night's sleep since before her battle with the Avengers. She also hadn't changed out of her costume or treated her wounds properly. She was almost sure an infection would develop if it hadn't already. But there weren't many options for someone on the run. She had spent the past few days shut into the ground floor of an abandoned building, surreptitiously dodging both Avengers and various other patrols.

Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet, ignoring the pain of her wounds and the tightness of her muscles. She rolled her neck and shoulders a few times, attempting to take away the stiffness. Her shoulder still hurt, but not as much anymore. She paced around the interior of the building, feeling the tension building in her stomach. She had to get out. Being confined to one building day and night had gotten on her nerves.

"That's it," she told herself, "No more." Not only did she need decent food, but medical supplies as well. And she wasn't going to get it by staying in this building. She took a moment to asses her appearance, making sure her mask and hood were in place and her voice changer was switched on. Satisfied that everything was as good as it was going to get, she made her way to the door. She moved the wedge of wood that had been stuck under the door to keep out unwanted visitors and pulled the door open, stepping out into the cool air. But right as she stepped out, she heard something whoosh towards her. _God damn it!_

Acting on instinct, she dropped into a roll to the right, feeling the wind from whatever it was pass over her back. _Clang!_ She looked up to see a patriotically painted shield sail back into the grasp of an equally patriotically dressed man. "Shit!" They'd found her.

Avery crouched next to the building's entrance, a million thoughts racing through her head. The first of these was about her luck. What bad timing this was! Not only was she low on sleep, food, and water, but she was also still wounded. And what's more, her powers were still quite unstable. They were constantly fluctuating between working in overdrive or not working at all. Avery took a deep breath as she scanned the team in front of her. Her relief at not seeing the Hulk was instantly overcome by her dismay at spotting Thor. She also noticed that both Natasha and Clint wore distinctly peeved expressions. Great. They were pissed about the last time she'd fought them.

Steve stepped forward. Avery focused her gaze on him, watching and anticipating. He held up his hands like he was surrendering. Avery snorted. Was that supposed to be comforting? _Maybe he's trying to lull me into a false sense of security._ She stood up, still poised to attack.

"Relax," said Steve, "We just want to talk."

She snorted again, louder. "Yeah. Because throwing your shield at my head is _such_ a good conversation starter." At this, Avery thought she heard a faint chuckle from Tony, but she dismissed it.

"Look, we have orders from SHIELD to bring you in, so I'll give you another chance to come quietly."

_SHIELD?_ Avery remembered seeing the name before. Possibly in one of Tony's files? She wasn't sure. But any organization that wanted her brought in was bad news. "Like I said last time... I'm good."

"I'd advise you to reconsider," said Steve, "I don't want this to come down to another fight." Clint and Natasha looked like they disagreed with _that_ sentiment.

_Shit! I can't fight them again! Especially not with Thor there!_ Her mind raced as she tried to find a way out. But since she couldn't depend on her powers and she couldn't outrun them, she came to the conclusion that she had no choice but to fight. She forced a laugh. "I don't know, Captain. If I remember correctly, I kicked your asses last time." She shrugged. "I'll just have to do it again… Bring it on, Miss America."

* * *

Steve knew a peaceful outcome would be the result of nothing short of a miracle. And he could tell that as soon as he said he didn't want it to come down to a fight, the vigilante's mind had started whirring.

He heard Tony's voice over the comm. _"C'mon Cap! We both know this guy isn't gonna go quietly. What's the point in drawing this out?"_

Steve didn't reply. He was waiting for the vigilante's answer. Then it came, in the form of a laugh and a taunt. Steve was taken aback. Surely the vigilante was joking? He wasn't completely sure, but he suspected that the guy hadn't fully recovered from their last fight. To ask for another...he _had_ to be insane.

_"Rogers,"_ said Clint, _"What's the play?"_

Steve sighed heavily. "You heard the man…we fight."

Clint nodded. Stepping forward, he drew back his bow, aiming it at the vigilante. The Menace tensed. Clint released. The arrow flew.

All Steve saw was a small black blur sailing straight at the vigilante. He hoped it wasn't a kill shot. They needed the man alive and Clint didn't miss. But right before the arrow hit home, the vigilante twisted, down and sideways, out of the arrow's path. It impacted the building behind him with a loud _thud_.

Clint cursed, nocking another arrow as Natasha sprinted forward. Steve right behind her. He vaguely registered the sounds of Thor and Tony taking off behind him. Before she reached the vigilante, Natasha dropped into a crouch, scything her legs in a wide arc. It had the desired effect. The Menace toppled over onto his back. In an instant, Natasha was on him. Fists and legs were flying at speeds that had Steve dizzy. The Menace managed to throw Natasha off and regain his footing.

At that moment, Steve engaged. As they fought, he wondered why the vigilante hadn't used his powers to take them all out, as he'd done last time. _Maybe he can't?_ Steve was distracted by the thought, and as a result, he didn't track the vigilante's moves as accurately as he should have. The Menace advanced swiftly, striking with lightning fast speed and precision. Suddenly Steve found himself on the ground. He tried to get up, but couldn't move.

Natasha moved to his side, briefly examining him. "This guy knows his pressure points," she said, "You'll be fine in a few minutes."

Then Steve felt the buzz of electricity in the air. He glanced up to see Thor whirling his hammer, dark storm clouds gathering above him. "Thor wait! We need him alive!" he shouted into the comm as he saw Thor releasing the lightning. An expression of extreme strain overcame Thor's features as he tried to redirect the blast. It struck the building above the Menace's head, sending rubble raining down. Steve saw the vigilante frantically scramble out of the way, consumed with avoiding the debris. He saw Tony fire at the vigilante's feet. The ensuing blast sent the Menace sailing into the side of the building.

Natasha moved forward to re-engage, but Steve called her off as he stood up with a grimace. "Wait!" He turned to Clint. "Hawkeye, you got any taser arrows?" He saw Clint's face light up with understanding as he nodded. Then Steve heard another blast from Tony's repulsors. He quickly looked back to see the vigilante getting up yet again.

Then the Menace brought his hands together, as though he were in possession of an invisible ball. The purpose was immediately apparent as the very air molecules seemed to vibrate and press together. Steve's eyes widened as he took in the sight. It was like a paved street on a hot sunny day, when waves of heat seemed to radiate off the ground and shimmer like a mirage. But this time he could feel it. He could actually _feel_ the air increasing in pressure and he got the feeling that if the vigilante was allowed to continue, the blast of the compacted air would be something akin to a bomb when sent free.

Tony and Thor had landed, Tony's suit sparking. _"Clint! You need to stop it! Now!"_

Clint nodded, selecting an arrow and fitting it to the string. He pulled back and let go in one smooth movement. This time, the arrow made contact. Steve saw the instant it hit. The Menace went rigid, releasing his hold on his power. Steve felt the pressure in his ears vanish and breathed a sigh of relief as the vigilante crumpled to the asphalt.

Tony took off his helmet and shook his head, trying to clear it. Whatever the Menace had done had really messed with his suit, and he was not happy. He looked around at his teammates, who were also shaking off the vigilante's effects.

Natasha rubbed at her forehead, massaging a possible headache. Steve, newly recovered, had stood up and was now stretching his jaw, as one might do on an airplane. Clint, for his part, frowned, pulling out his hearing aids and fiddling with them. Thor, to Tony's displeasure, seemed to have suffered no ill effects, he just patiently waited for the other Avengers to recover. "Right," said Tony, striding over to the fallen form of the Midtown Menace, "Let's see who this guy is." He felt like one of the Scooby Doo gang, about to pull off a villain's mask and solve the mystery.

"No," said Steve.

Tony turned. " _Tell_ me you didn't just say 'no.'" He jabbed a finger at the vigilante. "Not only did this guy kill _seven_ people, he sent us chasing all over Manhattan looking for him!"

Steve frowned at him. "Our orders were to not unmask him until he was brought in."

"Since _when_?"

"Since the meeting with Fury that _you_ were late for."

"Whatever." Tony continued forward.

" _Tony_ ," said Steve warningly.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Relax, Cap. I'm not gonna 'unmask him.'" He noticed a thin trail of blood emanating from the vigilante's nose. _That's odd._ He replaced his helmet. "Jarvis, any internal damage?"

There was a moment's pause as the AI scanned. _"There is nothing on my scanners, sir."_

"Good." Tony bent down, picking up the vigilante and slinging him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "We ready to blow this joint?" he asked as he approached the team.

"We're leaving as soon as the Quinjet gets here," said Steve.

Tony scoffed. "Why wait? I can get him to the Helicarrier just fine."

Steve shook his head. "Too risky."

Tony snorted. "What do you think I'm gonna do - drop him? 'Cause if it means that much to you, I can take Pikachu with me."

Steve sighed. "Fine, Tony. _Straight_ to the Helicarrier. No detours."

Tony gave a mock salute before he and Thor took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait guys. I've been busy with other projects, as well as with trying to find a beta for my next Destiny story. Still, the chapter got out, so I'll take it. Once again, thank you all for reading this story and special thanks to those who left kudos! Your support is much appreciated.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


	19. Unmasking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nonexistent childhood. A host of unspoken secrets. The beginning of adult life is difficult enough without navigating the minefield of superheroes and criminal activity in Manhattan. Especially when one is on a quest for vengeance.

Steve stepped off the Quinjet and made his way inside the Helicarrier, Clint and Natasha at his side. Halfway down the hallway, he stopped a SHIELD employee. "Midtown Menace?"

"Interrogation room C."

"Thank you." They continued. After a few more twists and turns, they arrived in the room. To Steve's surprise, it was quite crowded. Thor and a de-suited Tony were accompanied by Fury, Agent Maria Hill, and to Steve's surprise, Bruce. All four were currently preoccupied with watching the Midtown Menace, who was slumped in a chair behind a thick pane of one-way glass. Fury and Hill turned as they entered.

"Captain," Fury acknowledged, "Barton. Romanoff."

"Has the vigilante regained consciousness?"

"Not yet," said Agent Hill, "But we estimate he'll come to in a few minutes."

As though on cue, the vigilante began to stir. The group watched as he slowly woke up. When he became fully aware, the vigilante's head tilted as he scanned his surroundings. He tugged experimentally on the cuffs that tethered him to the table. When they showed no signs of giving, he gave up, slumping back in the chair.

Steve waved a hand between the vigilante and his own ear. "Can he-?"

"Hear us?" said Fury, "No, he can't."

Steve nodded. "Who will question him?"

"That would be me."

Steve barely stifled his surprise. "You, sir?" Fury nodded. "Why?"

"Because over these past few days, the 'Midtown Menace' has become one hell of a pain in my ass." With that, Fury opened the door and strode in.

* * *

Tony watched with mild interest as Fury took a seat across from the hooded vigilante. _How can someone make sitting down in a chair look that menacing?_ he wondered before turning his attention to the vigilante. The Menace seemed relaxed to anyone without experience. But Tony had had far too much practice at appearing relaxed during tense moments. He knew the signs. He could tell that although the vigilante gave off the appearance of lounging in his chair, his body was entirely tensed and ready for action.

"Who are you?" the vigilante asked.

Tony's brow furrowed as he took note of the man's strangely mechanical voice. He hadn't really paid it much attention before, but apparently, the Menace wore some kind of voice modifier.

"I am Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD."

The Menace's face, or what Tony could see of it, contorted in mock confusion. "You direct shields?"

Tony snorted, hearing an identical snort from Clint.

Fury's glare hardened, but he pressed on. "SHIELD is the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

"Yikes! That's a mouthful. I see why you shortened it."

Fury was not amused. "We are an extra-governmental military counter-terrorism and intelligence agency tasked with maintaining global security and protecting the world from all possible threats. And you, 'Midtown Menace,' are what we call a 'threat.'"

The vigilante seemed genuinely surprised. "A threat? _Me?_ "

"Yes, you. Believe it or not, we don't take kindly to free-ranged murder."

The phrase 'murder' seemed to sting the vigilante, but he recovered swiftly. "But if you're all about 'global security,' I don't see why you'd bother yourselves with a New York vigilante."

"You have powers," said Fury, "That makes you a threat."

Avery was a bit taken aback, but also not that surprised. She'd been expecting SHIELD to be thinking along those lines, she just hadn't thought Fury would come out and say it outright. "First of all, that's discrimination. Second of all, what about Spider-Man?" she demanded, "He's got powers and I don't see him being 'brought in.'" She felt a bit bad about throwing Spidey under the bus, but she maintained that her point was valid.

Fury sighed in exasperation. "That's because _Spider-Man_ doesn't resort to murder."

 _Well, that was very blunt._ Avery rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, usually I don't either."

"But this time you did." She could tell he wanted her to elaborate on her reasons. Tough. She didn't come here to share her personal life...well, she _did_ , but that didn't mean she had to cooperate. "I had my reasons."

Fury nodded, unimpressed. "Uh-huh. Mind sharing what those were?" Avery narrowed her eyes at him, something she knew had much less of an effect while wearing the mask. "Yeah, I _do_ mind. All you _need_ to know was that these were bad people. You do enough digging, I'm sure you'll be able to corroborate that."

Fury rolled his eye. "I'm sure we will. But we're not here to talk about them, we're here to talk about _you_."

Avery snorted. "What are you, my therapist?"

"I might as well be, 'cause you're gonna be spending a _lot_ of time here, so you might as well talk now because any future discussions are gonna take place through a cell door."

Avery sighed. He was right, she wasn't getting out of here any time soon, what with her malfunctioning powers and confiscated lightsaber. "Alright, fine... What do you want to know?"

Tony saw Fury's smile and was grateful to be behind a thick wall of mirrored glass. This next part was not gonna be fun.

"Let's start off with a simple question," said Fury, "Who are you?"

Tony rolled his eyes. This _is why Fury didn't want us unmasking him? For the dramatics? Well, I guess I can relate. But_ still _._ Tony watched as the Menace froze in place. Clearly, he didn't want them knowing his identity.

But then the vigilante relaxed. "Well, I like to think of myself as someone who appreciates the finer things in life, ya know?"

Tony grinned as Fury scowled. He may not like the vigilante, but he could dig sarcasm. Even fake sarcasm. Because Tony could tell it was a front. The vigilante was putting on an act, a calm facade to cover his nervousness. Tony knew because it was something that he himself had employed on numerous occasions. _Whoever this guy learned it from knew his stuff._

Fury glared across at the vigilante. "I see two options here," he said, "One: you take off your mask, I lock you up. Two: I take off your mask, reveal your identity to the public, _then_ lock you up. Your choice."

Tony could almost see the vigilante's brain working, his internal struggle with not wanting to reveal his identity but knowing it had to be done to prevent a much larger reveal. Tony had to hand it to Fury, the man had moves.

Avery's mind whirred as she attempted to think her way out, even though she knew it was useless. This man - this _organization_ was hell-bent on finding out her identity and with her powers on the fritz, her chance of escape before that happened was extremely low. Fury knew it, too. Avery could tell from his assured posture. _He knows there's no way out._ Well, if she was going to do this, she'd do it on her own terms. She certainly wasn't about to let Fury unmask her. "Fine," she said, defeated, "Good job. You win... I'll take off the mask."

A raised eyebrow was Fury's only response. Taking the hint for what it was, Avery brought her hand up to her throat. Ignoring the vague puzzlement emanating from Fury, she removed her voice chip and placed it in her pocket. _Now - the hard part._ With trepidation, she removed the mask from her face, setting it on the table even as she pushed her hood off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. I have a bit more to say in this author's note than usual. First of all, I apologize for how short this chapter was and for how long it took me to update. I kept putting it off to work on other things. 
> 
> Now, the bad news... It might be even longer before the next chapter comes out. I wrote a lot of this story a while back, so I still have some stuff to figure out like how I want to end it, etc. That being said, this story is NOT going to be left without an ending. My life is going to be a juggling act for a while between school, work, and writing for my Destiny series. I'll keep working on this story and even if it takes a year or more (it shouldn't) I WILL finish it. Keep on the lookout. I'll see you in the next chapter.
> 
> Until next time.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a project I've had in the works for a while. I was mostly just writing it for practice but I decided it would be a good idea to post the first part and see what people thought. This is my first attempt at writing for the Avengers fandom so feedback would really be appreciated. 
> 
> I'll post more depending on whether anyone wants to see more of the story, so the next part might not be added for a while. I'm also in the middle of uploading my second Destiny story, Darkness Ascending, for anyone who's interested in reading Destiny. (Hello if you're here from HMW or DA, btw).
> 
> Anyway, like I said, if you're interested in seeing where this story goes, don't hesitate to leave kudos. Hopefully, I'll see you in the next chapter.
> 
> \- TheWolfParadox


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